


End of the Pie?

by DarkandTwistedSisters



Series: Bakers, Hunters and Pie. Oh My! [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe visit, Dreamsharing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Forced Relationship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mind Games, Multi, Plot Twists, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape Recovery, Romance, Stockholm Syndrome, Time Travel, two souls one body
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2018-11-15 14:07:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 43
Words: 270,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11232600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkandTwistedSisters/pseuds/DarkandTwistedSisters
Summary: What is with all the cryptic warnings and threats from the demons and angels? What will happen now that Lucifer is free and has our Bakers & Hunters trapped? Will Bobby's love & sacrifice be enough for them to escape? Or will there be divine intervention? Can Lilly and Mae survive the world going crazy around them? Or is this the end of the pie as we know it?





	1. Intro

Faithful Wayward Readers, welcome back! We’re so glad to see you again! And for those of you that have just found your way to our story, thank you for joining us on this crazy journey. 

First and Foremost!  
Obligatory Disclaimer: We do not own Supernatural in any capacity, the show, the characters, and the plot and fully acknowledge they are owned by Kripke and Warner Bros and whoever... If we did the characters would get to be happy for more than five minutes every season. That being said we do own multiple OC’s from our story, namely Mae and Lilly. 

Without further ado; Twisted and I (Dark) would like to welcome you to the 5th book in our series that we lovingly refer to as ‘Bakers, Hunters and Pie… Oh My!’

So far the order of the series is as follows:

Witch Pie?  
Mourning Pie  
Cursed Pie?  
Blood Pie  
End of the Pie?

We also have a small collection of fluff’n stuff:

Slices of Pie  
Thoth’s Corner

Now, if you haven’t read any of our previous works within this series, coming in now might be confusing. (She’s being polite, it would be like jumping into the middle of the Red Wedding; Why is everyone dying? How is there blood literally everywhere? Wait? Who are we rooting for and where the fuck did that giant jackal come from?-T) We do have a Road So Far in the next ‘chapter’, but that’s mostly just a refresher and we honestly believe you will enjoy the pairing of our OFC Bakers with the Hunters far more if you read from the beginning. 

(I wasn’t joking, It’s really fucking confusing. Also important note if cursing isn’t your thing, this is not the story for you… Actually if you have any hang ups please always read the author's notes. This story goes through a revolver of dark and twisted themes, and though we always try to put up a warning for anything that might be triggering, we are only human-ish and we mostly only spend time with each other so we’re really not up to date on what is being considered offensive or not, but we would like it known the views of the characters do not reflect our own… Like I don’t go around drugging people because they’re whiny when menstruating...Or make heroin.- T) (Though she does threaten it now, the drugging for periods, not the making heroin. Infact that was shady as hell when we looked it up. Suggestion, don’t look up how to make heroin, we’re pretty sure we’re on a list somewhere... -D)(Unrelated side note; They have a wikihow for everything.-T)

By the way, just to be completely clear, there are two of us writing this story. Many of you have witnessed our messages first hand. That, that up there! What we did in the last paragraph, totally normal for us. We interrupt each other, and make jokes at each others experience all the time. Don’t worry though, we’re funny. :D

In other news, we will continue to post at least one chapter a week, every Sunday, as well as continue to work on adding scenes to Slices of Pie and getting Thoth’s corner up and running. We’re so excited to be getting into Season 5; which, background, this was where we had originally planned to start. Back then though, the story we had planned was not nearly this complicated, and we’re excited to share the origin with you, but we’re us and dramatic, so we’ll wait for the perfect introduction to release that information. 

(If anyone actually gives a fuck. We’re kinda like glass cannon narcissist. -T) (I don’t think I’d call us narcissists…-D) (We’re not really writing this intro like we’re humble.-T) (Confidence in your work does not make you or me narcissists…-D) (How do you say shit like that without feeling shame?-T) (Was not brought up catholic?-D) (Heard…-T)

Awerry, Cloudkid, Deanfan, Hunter, and Kat, we know you have our backs and we love you for it! You are a special group of support for us and we highly value your input and all the communications we get. For those that are kinda on the fence with staying committed with us through the havoc two bakers can make on our favorite hunters… Please let us know how to better hold your interest… Not sure how to articulate what or how to ask? Not a problem, we made a survey of sorts to help you get what you want from this story (Which can be found in the last chapter of Blood Pie. We will look over and take all ideas into consideration. Reiteration, Book five has already been written, then torn apart, and written again, so any feedback will be applied to wherever we can apply them in six and up.)


	2. The Road so Far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We’re getting closer to posting the fifth installment of our Bakers Hunter and Pie series but until that happens we figured we’d do you wonderful ladies and gents a favor and summarize our first four books to the best of our abilities. 
> 
> For curious new readers, if our playful welcome didn’t scare you off, or you just glanced through it and went- ‘Ugh? Where the fuck is the story at? Damn egotistical authors alway talking ‘bout themselves and not getting to the damn point’ We’d like to gently repeat that the following Road so Far will in No way help you understand what is happening when the story opens. The OFCs have already interrupted several major plot points and it’s just going to be weird AF if you jump in here; not to mention spoil so much for yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trust us, it’s worth reading from the beginning. Just click your happy little hunter butt over to Witch Pie and start there.
> 
> For the rest of you wonderful dolls, here’s a small refresher course for those of you who are interested. All the important highlights and low points of the Winchesters, Mae, and Lilly. A moment of silence for the trauma, trials, and tribulations we put these characters through, all for the sake of our entertainment. It only gets darker from here lovelies, it is the End of the Pie, after all.

* * *

 

 

**_FINAL WARNING: SERIES SPOILERS AHEAD_ **

 

* * *

 

 

In the beginning Chuck created the heavens and the earth-

Just kidding! No one has time for that kind of road map.

 

* * *

 

**The Road so Far…**

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

**Five Years Earlier**

_Bakers Interrupted... By Hunters_

 

 

On a wild goose chase for their missing father, Sam and Dean stumble upon a pie shop that will forever change their lives. With no other clues to go on, Sam zeros his intuition in on the two owners of the bakery. The brothers end up breaking into the girls’ house a few hours later, sure the two odd woman have something to hide. Upon inspection they find evidence that ties them to not only their missing father, but also their second incommunicado father figure. The hunters don’t have much time to think when they girls arrive home earlier than expected. One chase and a fight scene later, Mae is passed out in a bed and Lilly is tied to a chair being interrogated by two very angry men. Mae wakes up, Sam makes an impulsive decision, and Dean finally puts down the shotgun before Bobby arrives and slaps some sense into all of them. The Winchester’s apologize, the girls shrug it off, and Bobby goes home that night with a migraine.

 

Time passes. Mae keeps in contact with Sam, while Lilly and Dean take turns annoying one another intermittently with phone calls about whether or not John had been seen. Nightmares of John’s death plague Mae’s dreams; night sweats and terrors a grim deja vu that keeps her on edge. When the call finally comes, the girls immediately rally together, badgering Bobby as they grow concerned at Mae’s nightmare finally coming to fruition. Dean and Sam travel with John’s corpse, the last trip the brothers will make with their father. A meal is made. The ceremony prepared. Some awkward and tense exchanges occur before the men settle in for the night. The next day the funeral is held at dusk. The girls both pay their respects in white; though their presence is unwelcome by Dean while leaving Sam confused. Mae shares stories and memories of John by his pyre. Dean abuses Baby. Lilly calls, when she should have folded and Dean calls her bluff. Some brief violence. Ashes are stolen. A couple of intimate moments of vulnerability are sprinkled in by both idjits and gidjits. Bobby rues the two groups ever meeting. A line is drawn between best friends turned sisters in the kitchen, after the brothers take off on their search for Ellen. Mae adds one more tree to her memorial garden while Lilly plays a dirge, one last farewell for John.

 

Saving people and hunting things doesn’t seem so bad in comparison to a power crazed mother running for governor. When the Winchesters return to Sioux Falls, after Hell’s Hunger Games Special, they find themselves patching up the girls. Hours later they learn that the girls have made up rooms for them, ‘mi casa su casa’ style. Dean happily accepts, Sam’s a bit overwhelmed and the girls quickly realize the guys are hiding something. It’s not long however before the ‘Littles’ start dating, but the brothers are quick to jump to their next hunt. Lilly discovers a long lost Uncle and Mae starts to notice things missing around the house and bakery.  Mae pulls Bobby into it, and they both try to unravel the mystery of Lilly. Christmas happens. Ash and the Harvelles meet the girls. The secret Dean was trying to hide is revealed in epic Lilly fashion, while Mae blurts out her own secret. Experiments are run on Lilly. Sam is a steriods rage monster, Mae passes out, and awkward silences abound for a while. Loki makes an appearance, unwittingly trapping Lilly in Sam’s lesson; forcing the two to bond over hellish groundhog days as Mae is forced to a painful doctor's appointment, and Dean dies, over and over again. Sam finds Loki, shit gets set right, but Lilly is still acting off and Mae’s routine removal is more than any one bargained for. Morals are questioned as opiates are made. The big’s get together just in time for Lilly to run away, as the hunter’s zero in on Lillith. Ellen and Jo end up at Mystic, thanks to a call from Ash. Lilly meets an unexpected king. Ash dies. Lilly disappears. Dean dies. Mae and Sam try to pick up each other’s pieces after Ellen calls Bobby with bad news.

 

It doesn’t take long for Sam to leave Mae, desperate to keep Mae from feeling the loss he had at his brother’s death. Bobby teaches Mae to become a hunter. Lilly is tortured by fanatics worshipping an imprisoned god. Enter Castiel. Dean’s back. Enter Maat and Thoth. Lilly discovers she’s a priestess, albeit a cursed one. Family reunited. Tears, breakdowns, and bleach. Sam and Dean leave on a case. Mae and Lilly find themselves caught up with a ghost. Castiel doesn’t know how to read a room.  The girls end up in a couple of canon episodes. Castiel all but confirms Mae ain’t as normal as the guys would like. Dean and Sam don’t much care for Thoth and Maat. Neither does Castiel. When rescuing Anna, the girls get in over the heads. Uriel and Alistair, angel and demon, heaven and hell, get their hands on the girls. Mae is pushed to her limits, questioning her faith and left with too many unanswered questions. Lilly discovers that there is a distinct difference between cauterizing for necessity and torture. Sam and Dean comfort them, but it’s not long before they’re back on the road trying to stop Lilith. Dean starts getting suspicious of Sam. Lilly smells something’s off with him, and Mae knows but doesn’t tell. Secrets are kept and lies are told. Zachariah drops in to introduce himself. Lilly is an abomination with a penchant for masochism. Mae is a sexy mail girl, Dean’s a cleanse monster, and Sam’s an IT nerd that wants to throttle Mr. Smith’s useless secretary. Anna keeps Lilly company and she ends up giving the rogue angel the ritual for obscura after receiving the angel wards. Lilly finds herself confused. Castiel, Dean, and Thoth work together to rescue Ahmes. Mae’s knocked out by Sam’s newfound abilities. Bobby yells. Mae cries. Sam ends up throwing Lilly into a wall. Thoth takes the girls to his home, where Lilly is forced to heal a mark on Mae, and Thoth finally reveals Mae’s Fae heritage. With permission from her family, Lilly performs a ritual, cleansing Sam of the blood but leaving both of them drained. Mae and Dean take care of their partners. Dean and Sam fight. Castiel shares a dream with Lilly, who whisks Mae out of Mystic and away from the bickering hunters. Novak is rescued. Mae is concerned for Thoth. For some reason demon trap confetti works at stalling demons, and the girls find their gidjit gear acceptable in the field as they rescue Novak with no casualties. Sam and Dean die a little bit on the inside upon seeing the brightly colored water guns and hula hoops. The demons want Mae, just as much as they want Sammy but neither big is having it. Mae is squirrelled away to the panic garden, while the others work on a way to kill Lilith.  Mae and Lilly are kidnapped. Blood is forced down Sam’s throat. Dean is left feeling sideswept. Why was the opposition suddenly so focused on the girls? Castiel helps free Dean and Lilly from the green room. They meet up with Sam and Bobby, and Cass sends the four of them go to rescue a much abused Mae. Lilith, who insists Mae is her new mommy, chains her to an altar to ‘sacrifice’. Sam kills Lilith and the five of them find themselves face to face with Lucifer’s grace as his cage is finally broken open.

 

So what happened to our three favorite hunters and two girls who constantly find themselves tagging along? Were Lilly’s prayers answered? Did Castiel manage to get to them? Is Thoth, Maat, or maybe even Loki going to save them? Did they miraculously end up on a plane over Maryland with no explanation as to how the hell they got there? Chuck only knows.


	3. Chapter 1

Bakers, Hunters and Pies, Oh My

Book 5: It’s the End of the Pie

 

 

Somewhere above Ilchester, Maryland

May 18, 2009

Sometime after midnight

 

 

1

 

Bobby suspiciously looks around at the strange people he found himself sitting with, unsure of how he got here, when a bright beam of light shines through the port window next to him. His jaw drops as he realizes he’s on a plane. How in the hell had he wound up here? Where were his jits? He turns and looks around in confusion, his hands already going for the buckle securing him in the seat when the plane begins rocking roughly. The emergency lights flicker on as the masks drop from overhead. 

 

Two high pitched screams echo through the cabin like music to his ears, Dean and Lilly had obviously made it with him. Bobby lets out a relieved sigh even as he hears Dean scream out “We’re going to die!” as Lilly laughs hysterically. It seemed his elder jits were stirring a panic as the rest of the occupants add a resounding cacophony as the panic spreads through the cabin.

 

“Dean! Lilly! Calm the fuck down.” Sam barks from somewhere in the rows behind him.

 

Bobby can’t help the relieved smile on his lips. Three jits safe. Now all he had to worry about was Mae. Bobby whispers as he shifts looking around for the voices behind him.

 

“Bite me Jolly green.” Lilly snaps out caustically before she scrambles out of her seat; the only one reckless enough to be standing with the massive turbulence. Where were Mae and Bobby? She hadn't  actually been expecting anyone to answer her desperate prayer. Who the fuck had done this? Were they all safe? She needed to know. “ROLL CALL!” She screams over the panicked screaming and high pitched whining of alarms sounding. 

 

“Sit your ass down!” Dean barks at Lilly as he wrenches his hands from where they were white knuckling the uncomfortable armrests to reach for her. How the fuck did they get here? Why a fucking plane? “And don’t leave me, I mean it!” He  breathes out in a rush, his eyes round in panic.

 

“Give me a minute.” Lilly comments dismissively as she looks around the plane in an attempt to locate the rest of her family. She'd heard the giants order, now she just needed to see the harpy and old man. Her fingers dig into the shoulders of the of the seats between her as she fights the violent rocking of the plane’s turbulence. 

 

Sam, seeing Lilly’s head poke above the back of the seat, waves and points to the seat next to him. “I have Mae.” He shouts over the cries of the other passengers and the alarms of the plane.

 

“Ol’ man?!” Lilly shouts out, concern twisting in her gut. Several older gentleman acknowledge her with looks ranging from concern to scorn, but none were her curmudgeon; not one ball cap among them.  “ _ What!? _ ” She scoffs in response to the stares before she continues scanning for a worn cap.

 

“Sit down Gidjit. I’m fine.” Bobby shouts at her, worried that she was going to get tossed. “Ya see Mae?”

 

“With Jolly Green.” Lilly screams back before a larger tremor shakes the plane. A shriek escapes her lips as she loses her balance. She tumbles, falling forward, just barely catching herself at an awkward angle before she hits the aisle. 

 

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN PLEASE REMAIN SEATED!” Blares over the intercom, followed by. “Please pull on your oxygen masks, helping those near you after putting on your own. This is just a bit of turbulence, and these are precautions for your safety, thank you.” 

 

Bobby lets out a sigh of relief as he pulls his air mask on. By some miracle, they’d all fucking made it. He wasn't going to question their sudden serendipity. He just hoped this damn plane landed before Dean and Lilly lost their damned minds.

 

Lilly rolls her eyes as she clings to the seat at her odd angle; now that she knew everyone was safe she was losing the burst of energy that had made her brave enough to stand up on this metal flying death trap. She screams as she’s jerked by her waist into a row while at the same time it feels like the plane has a sudden drop in altitude.

 

“I gotcha hufflepuff.” Dean assures her softly, as he pulls her onto his lap. “Stay put.”

 

Lilly takes a deep breath as she leans against Dean, her concern about her family's safety momentarily assuaged. She settles for a moment before she opens one of her eyes, noting how small the cabin is. Her eyes sweep over the faces of the other scared and uncertain passengers. She turns to looks at Dean, her fingers burying in his shirt as her heart begins to pound hard against her chest, the air becoming thinner and more difficult to inhale. “I can’t breath like this.” She tells Dean softly as she begins pushing off of him; panic from suffocating to death starting to take hold as she attempts to stand back up. 

 

Dean frowns as he maneuvers to keep Lilly pinned with his thighs; easily stopping her. He forces her mask on, before pulling his own on. He pulls her to his chest and holds her to him tightly. “Just breath Babe, I hate planes too, but we’re ok. We’re ok. I love you and we’re ok.”

 

It takes a moment for Lilly to calm down before she just nods in acceptance. She readjusts in his lap, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his chest. Her fingers knot themselves in the collar of his shirt. She begins humming lowly, not sure if it was to help him or herself. Someone had a twisted sense of humor, judging by this rescue, but she was still grateful someone had saved them. 

 

Sam grabs his mask and pulls it onto his face before he reaches over to do the same for Mae. He reaches over to check her seatbelt, but stops as he notices her smooth skin. He looks at her in disbelief. She was completely healed; no blood, no burns. Even her dress was repaired. He shakes his head as he adjusts her so he can hold her to his side during the shaky ride. She wasn’t waking up, but he could see her breath fog the mask up, so he knew she was breathing. Everything had gone so right, then so very, very wrong, and then just as suddenly had gone right again. He had no idea how they had gotten on the plane, or even where they were. All he knew was they were all alive, and for now, that was enough. They’d be able to figure everything else out later. He was content to just ride the turbulence out, and hold Mae.

 

2 

 

Dean and Lilly are first to exit the plane; the other passengers practically throw the two out of there. The couple had continued to freak out well after the plane had made it through the turbulence. Dean was barely able to catch Lilly around her hips before picking her up to keep her by his side, less she disappear into the crowd. He leans his back to the wall as he waits for the rest of their family to greet them, his composure carefully back in place. 

 

Bobby shakes his head as he joins the older jits, letting the irate passengers walk past them. Many of them glare at the three of them as they walk by. “God dammit Lilly, get ahold of yourself.” He says, giving her a gentle shake by her shoulders.

 

Lilly scowls at Bobby. 

 

Sam rushes out of the walk way with Mae in his arms. “Hey. Uhh. Yeah, we should get out of here. They kept asking if we wanted medical attention.”

 

“I’m with Sammy, let’s get the fuck outta here and figure out what happened.” Lilly quickly nods her head, her eyes scanning over the still sleeping Mae. For now she put aside all her questions about how Mae was healed, chalking it up to their rescuer. She looked a lot healthier now than she had in the convent, but the white dress was gonna have to go though. She still looked for all the world like a sacrifice and the thought wasn’t sitting well with Lilly. At least Sam had wrapped her up in his jacket. 

 

Bobby nods and begins herding them to the nearest exit. When they exit the baggage claim area and get outside he looks them all over. “I’ll get us a car, you jits just act inconspicuous for a bit.”

 

Dean takes Lilly by the hand and leads her to a bench, Sam following close behind them.

 

“Seriously… What the fuck?” Dean whispers as the three sit huddled together.

 

“I don’t know man.” Sam frowns as he pulls Mae closer to cover the shake in his hands. “That was nuts.” He sighs out softly.

 

Dean claps his hands together. “Right. So we know Lilith was the final seal, and the devil is apparently out of his cage. We ended up in a random ass death trap, and we have no idea what's wrong with Mae.” He says, ticking his points off on one hand.

 

“That about sums up our lives at the moment.” Lilly nods even as she reaches out and takes Mae’s hand. 

 

“Mae also seems to have been healed in transit.” Sam adds.

 

“She’s not the only one. We all walked off that plane with nary a scratch, and you're not back handing me at the moment or otherwise foaming at the mouth… Someone interceded.”

 

Sam frowns for a moment as he looks thoughtful. “Yeah, not even angry. Maybe because I used it all on Lilith. Which by the way, when did you find out she was the final seal?”

 

Dean lets out a sigh. “Cass told us, when he took a hit from another one of the archangels. We need to go to Chuck’s...”

 

Sam lets out a deep sigh. “How did this get so…”

 

“Fuckin’ messed up?” Lilly offers.

 

“Pretty much.” Sam shakes his head as he shifts to put a hand in front of Mae’s mouth and nose, needing the pressure of her breath to assure himself she was still okay.

 

“Probably last year when Dean died and I ran off. You youngin’s lettin’ shit slip…” Lilly teases with a slight smile.

 

“Yeah okay Lilly… Damn it. I can’t believe I got so fucking played. But I just saw red when she was taken. And then when Lilith had the blade over her…” Sam shakes his head again, as if he could possibly jar the image from his mind.

 

Dean sighs as he leans back against the stone wall. “Yeah that was pretty stupid.”

 

Lilly elbows Dean in the side.

 

“No, he’s right. But, I just couldn’t risk it. Not her.”

 

“Hey, I for one don’t blame you for getting played by the first demon who is like five thousand years older than you, not to mention she had the backing of the heavenly army helping every step of the way. As far as I see it, we were all fucked before we even started playing this game. This was too well orchestrated. We never stood a chance of actually stopping Satan from coming to town...” Lilly interjects with a shrug. 

 

“The fucking angels were in on it?” Sam asks in disbelief. After all their talk of stopping the apocalypse, all their righteous indignation at his methods. It didn’t matter. It was still his fault.

 

“Yeah…” Dean sighs as he pulled a hand through his hair.

 

Lilly looks from Sam and Mae to Dean, and hangs her head with a sigh. They were going to take this on… She could taste it. “Alright. Pull the brakes on the guilt train you two. Sam, if I was in your shoes, I woulda killed the bitch and I knew it was a fuckin’ trap. Dean, you were the first seal, but if it wasn’t you, it would have just been some other poor bastard. And then we wouldn’t even know we were needed to help. Does it suck? Fuck yeah it does, but blame isn’t going to help us fix this… Assuming we’re going to try to fix this...Which, I should point out, we’re by no means obligated too. Dean. Sam.” Lilly whispers firmly as she looks between the two. “We’re talking about satan. Like  _ The Satan _ . Lucifer, the fallen light, or whatever.”

 

Dean leans forward on his knees, his eyes narrowed as he takes the time to think about how he was going to answer Lilly. “Yeah.” He sucks his teeth. “I know babe. Obligated or not though, we were involved in his break out-”

 

“I don’t want to call it a break out…” Lilly comments with a shrug.

 

Sam gives a half hearted snort. “What would you call it then?”

 

“An inevitable resurgence.” Lilly offers as she kicks her feet. “And involved is such a ‘pfft’ term here. I mean, if they hadn’t kept dragging ya’ll into it.”

 

Dean sighs before he rubs his hands down his face. “Whatever you wanna call it, we know about it. We can at least try to fix it. We’ll have to find Cass, see what else was going on. He… he dropped that allegiance pretty fucking fast.”

 

“I’m shocked he hasn’t joined us yet…” Sam frowns, thinking about the trench coat clad angel.

 

“He’ll find us when he can. If the other three are anything like Lucy, that could not have been a good time for him.” Lilly supplies with a shrug, curious about the angel and her gods. She was pretty damn sure if it had been Maat or Thoth who’d saved them they wouldn’t have wound up on a plane. Same with Castiel. Loki? That was a maybe, but he definitely would have claimed credit by now. She frowns as she goes through the list of possibilities, sighing when she comes up short. She adds it to her growing list of concerns, someone was eventually going to come knocking for that favor to be paid.

 

Dean nods, doing his best to hide his worry.

 

The three of them alert instantly to Mae’s sudden movement. Sam holds onto her tightly as she struggles against him. “Shhh, baby. It’s alright. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

 

Mae pushes her hands to Sam’s chest, her eyes wide as she looks him over before her gaze slowly travels to Dean and Lilly. Without any warning tears begin to stream down her face. She tries to turn away from them, tries to block her face with her hands.

 

Lilly frowns when she looks into Mae’s watery verdian eyes; the look sends a shard through her heart. She had really hoped she’d been wrong, but looking to her sister now, she couldn’t deny something terrible had happened to her. She just didn’t know what Lilith would have done to her and the possibilities seemed endless. 

 

Dean and Sam trade a worried look above the girls’ heads. 

 

“Baby. It’s okay. We made it out. Still trying to figure out how, but we’re all here. Bobby’s getting a car and we’re all going to get somewhere safe to figure this all out.” Sam whispers to Mae softly, his grip growing firmer as he adjusted her into a more comfortable position so she could hide into his chest. It wasn’t much but it was the most privacy he could offer her.

 

Mae buries her face into Sam’s shirt, her body wracked by hard sobs. She couldn’t even think straight. She was alive, they were all alive! What she had done though; the absolute betrayal she had committed against them. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t breath.

 

Lilly watches Sam as he pulls Mae to him and comforts her. She listens to the gentle cooing and the coaxing to breath as he rubs small circles into her back. They were platitudes and empty promises, things weren’t okay. It wasn’t over. In fact it seemed they had just reached the climax. She stays quiet though; she couldn’t blame Sam, couldn’t even be mad at him. She wasn’t even sure where Mae was at mentally. She just knew her sister’s once bright viridian eyes appeared haunted and lost, and the sight of it broke her heart.  

 

Dean frowns as he listens to Mae sob, the sound breaking his heart as he looks around the pick up area protectively. He glares at anyone who’s eyes lingered longer than he thought was necessary, but he stays silent, hoping that Bobby found something quickly. The last thing they needed was to be spotted by another demon or angel. He wasn’t sure any of them were up for a fight.

 

A dark blue four door sedan pulls up in front of them. “Ya jits coming?” Bobby asks as he rolls the window down.

 

The three of them are up and piling in before he even finishes talking. 

 

Bobby lifts an eyebrow as he watches Mae and Sam in the rearview mirror, but doesn’t question anything as he pulls out into traffic. He was just going to stop at the second motel he saw.

 

Lilly watches Sam and Mae quietly; silently observing her sister with curiosity. She hadn’t said a word, but that wasn’t too out of character. She wasn’t sure what to do, or how to help. She has to stop herself several times from reaching out for her sister. She wanted to comfort her, but was afraid that it would just be overwhelming.

 

Dean and Bobby whisper plans to each other in the front seat, doing their best to let what was happening in the backseat play itself out.

 

“ Where do we go from here? Where do we go from here? The battle's done, and we kinda won, so we sound our victory cheer… Where do we go from here? ” Lilly sings softly after ten from minutes of listening to her sister cry. She watches Mae’s face for any sign of recognition and frowns when there’s none. 

 

Lilly sighs. “You would not beleive your eyes, if ten million fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep. Cause they fill the open air and leave tear drops everywhere you’d think me rude but I would just stand and stare.” She tries again. She’s rewarded when Mae slowly tilts her head to look over at her, one hand dropping down from her face as she just watches. “Cause I get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs, as they tried to teach me how to dance. A foxtrot above my head, a sock hop underneath my bed. A disco ball just hanging by a thread…”   

 

Lilly continues to sing softly with a warm encouraging smile to her sister. She wasn’t sure how much more sobbing she could handle. She grins as she switches to a fandom song. “Take my love, take my land, take me where I can not stand. I don’t care, I’m still free. You can’t take the sky from me. Take me out to the black, tell ‘em I’m ain’t comin’ back. Burn the land and boil the sea. You can’t take the sky from me. Have no place I can be, since I’ve found Serenity… I don’t care, I’m still free, you can’t take the sky from me...” 

 

Mae slowly holds her arm out to Lilly, her hand pale and shaking as she gives Lilly a small smile.  

 

Lilly quickly threads her fingers with Mae’s, realizing how cold Mae’s hands were with concern.  She hides her frown as she scoots closer to Sam and Mae before massaging her hand, trying to get some circulation back into her fingers.

 

Both Dean and Bobby look into the back. The whole car had gone silent when Lilly began singing. 

 

“We all okay back there?” Bobby asks softly.

 

“Can we get heat in this beast?” Lilly asks with a concerned frown. “Or a coat donation from ya’ll layered mother fuckers?”

 

Dean cranks the heat up on the dashboard and immediately slips from his own jacket. “Here babe.” He passes it back to Lilly with a wink.

 

Lilly takes the coat with a smile. “Thanks.” She murmurs already tucking the warm jacket around her sister. She looks down at Mae with concern. “You want anything?”

 

Mae drops her eyes from Lilly’s and shakes her head.

 

Lilly sighs before she looks back to Dean and Bobby. “I don’t think food would hurt any of us.”

 

“Agreed.” Bobby nods. “I’ll get you jits to a room before I head out to get some shopping done.”

 

Lilly looks out at the dark sky. “Walmart?” She asks unable to keep the disdain from her tone.

 

Bobby tilts his head to the side as he shrugs. “Whatever works. We’re all a little low on supplies.”

 

“Well I don’t s’pose there are many other places to pick up bullets,  _ clothes _ and salad at the same time.” Lilly admits with a huff as she makes eye contact with Bobby in the mirror. Mae couldn’t stay in that dress forever, and Lilly doubted her desire to. White just wasn’t her color and the quicker they got rid of all evidence of the last couple of days, the better it would be for Mae. Distance never fucking hurt, maybe burning the dress would help?

 

Dean and Sam both chuckle at the same time. “Nope.”

 

Bobby just nods once at Lilly. He’d been thinking the same thing. It had been uncomfortable seeing Mae strung out like a sacrifice for the evil dragon. That ‘innocent’ dress had to fucking go.

 

3

 

Lilly waves the guys off as the three of them leave to get the rest of the supplies. She sighs as she turns back to Mae, who was just watching the door with a blank expression. She runs her eyes over Mae with a frown. “Shower?” She suggests softly.

 

Mae shivers, but nods her head as she turns to the bathroom door. She tilts her head to the side as she pulls Sam’s jacket off and holds it in front of her, studying it. Her eyes well up. She felt the warm, rough canvas material; could smell Sam. She didn’t deserve him.

 

Lilly rushes to the closet and grabs a hanger. “Here. I’ll hang it up.” She offers as she takes the coat from her sister's fingers. She slides it onto the hanger before she gently takes Mae’s hand. “Here, come on harps. I’ll help you set up.” She adds as she pulls Mae carefully towards the bathroom. This wasn’t good. Robotic Mae was never a good sign.

 

Mae wanted to follow Lilly, wanted this to be over. But the memories of Lilith dragging her to the bathroom take root and she suddenly jerks her hand out of Lilly’s and backs away from the bathroom door’ one hand held out in front of her defensively as she looks around for an exit.

 

Lilly automatically puts her hands up defensively. “I’m sorry.” She says as she looks her sister over carefully. What had Lilith done to Mae? “It’s me Mae.” She adds when she notes Mae looked ready to bolt. “I won’t let anything else happen to you…I give you my word okay?”

 

Mae’s breath is short and shallow as she stares at Lilly. She looks towards the bathroom again and then down at herself. She wraps her arms around herself.

 

Lilly tilts her head to the side as she watches Mae. “Do you not want a shower?” She asks hesitantly. “I know it’s kinda gross in there, but it’ll keep you warm til they get back with better clothes.”

 

Mae’s lower lip trembles. She wanted out of the dress, wanted to scrub until she bled. She’d never understood Lilly’s desire to use steel wool as a loofah, but now she did. She slowly nods.

 

Lilly watches Mae warily. “Do you want help?”

 

Mae just shakes her head.

 

“Alright.” Lilly nods and steps back away from her sister, her heart hurting slightly. She wasn’t sure she could remember the last time Mae had rejected her help, and it hurt more than she cared to admit. However she could tell by Mae’s reaction she was missing something and tried to not take it personally. “I’ll stay out here. Do you mind leaving the door open? For me that is… You know how I am with silence, it’ll make me feel better.” She offers instead.

 

A tear slides down Mae’s cheek as she watches Lilly. She wanted to hug her, wanted Lilly to tell her everything was going to be okay. She wanted to just let Lilly be in charge. She takes a hesitant step towards her sister, but stops; dropping her arms to her side and her eyes to the ground. She was so ashamed; she needed Lilly, but she had told Lilith everything about her. What was Lilly going to say to that?

 

“Don’t.” Lilly comments as she takes her own step back and holds up her hand. “I don’t know what happened, but it’s okay. Take your time, and don’t force yourself ta do shit for me. It’s alright harps.” She adds softly as she looks at her sister with an encouraging smile, even as it felt like a knife just slid through her heart at her own words. 

 

Mae winces, but nods. She turns and walks into the bathroom, leaving the door open behind her. 

 

Lilly sighs as she looks around the room. She sighs in relief when she spots a radio, walks over to it, and plays with the dials until she finds a station that was playing Mae’s preferred brand of pop. She stands, straightening her back, and paces for several moments itching to go check on her sister. Something had happened in a bathroom, that she was positive of. She frowns at the thought, even as she slowly made her way to the door with every intention of collecting the white dress to inspect it further. The smell of roses hits her nose the minute she steps over the threshold. She looks around the bathroom carefully, her frown deepening when she doesn’t see the dress thrown anywhere. 

 

“Mae?” Lilly calls out softly, in warning. She waits several moments for a response before she steps into the bathroom further, and hesitantly slides open the cheap curtain. Her heart hurting at the sight.

 

Mae was still dressed, sitting at the bottom of the tub as she hugs her knees to her chest, hiding her face under the wet curtain of her hair as the hot water pelted her. Her skin was reddening under the heat.

 

Lilly watches her hesitantly for a moment, before pulling off her own shirt and folding it to put on top of the sink. She walks back over to the shower, her hand messing with the knobs to lessen the heat before she pulls the curtain back further. She wanted so bad to reach out and touch her sister but was scared to do so. “Mae.” She calls out softly as she kneels beside the tub.

 

After a few tries Mae rolls her head to look over at Lilly.

 

“You’re still in the dress.” Lilly points out gently. “That can’t be comfortable.”

 

Mae shakes her head. It was not comfortable, but she hadn’t even noticed it until Lilly pointed it out.

 

“Is it okay if I help you take it off?” Lilly asks with concern.

 

Mae’s bottom lip trembles before she bites it and nods. Her throat was tight; it hurt every time she even thought about speaking.

 

Lilly frowns as her head tilts just slightly to the side. She wasn’t happy with the response, but she may have needed Mae out of that dress more than Mae did. “Alright. I’m going to touch your back. It’s a corset. I’m going to do this as gently as I can okay, but my knuckles are going to be brushing against you. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise, okay?” 

 

Mae nods and turns to give Lilly access to the back of the dress. This was Lilly, Lilly was helping her get out of the stupid dress. Lilly was the only one here. Or was she? 

 

Lilly sighs as she looks over the dress, trying to find the best place to start before putting her hands on Mae. “I’m starting at the top okay.” She tells her.

 

Mae nods before she tucks her legs between her chest and the tub wall so she could lay her head down.

 

Lilly’s fingers start to gently undo the strings on the back of the corset, feeling unease during the entire process. She wasn’t why she felt so intrusive or dirty while she helped Mae in this moment but she couldn’t stop herself from pausing every time Mae held her breath or flinched at her touch. Tears were welling in her own eyes by the time she’d finally worked the bodice free. She felt like she’d just tortured her sister. What was going on? “It’s free Mae. Do you wanna get the rest?” She asks softly.

 

Mae slowly stands and struggles to step out of the hated dress.

 

Lilly watches Mae struggle with difficulty forcing herself to stay kneeled on the floor, when all she wanted to do was help. 

 

After a few tries Mae hangs her head again. It was wet, and clinging to her like a second skin.

 

“Do you want help?” Lilly asks gently.

 

Mae nods. She couldn’t even get the dumb dress off. Her eyes tear up again at the thought of how helpless she was.

 

“I’m standing.” Lilly warns before she slowly pushed herself up. She looks over the dress, once more analyzing it before she began. “Alright. I’m going to touch your shoulders first. I’m not going to hurt you.” She adds for good measure, before she reaches up and starts working the wet dress off her sister’s body. When she reaches her breasts, Mae’s breath hitches painfully. 

 

Every cell in Lilly’s body freezes at that one intake of breath. She closes her eyes and takes her own deep breath before she raises her eyes to look at Mae’s. 

 

Concerned amber meets terrified veridian, and Lilly instantly drops her hands and steps back as if Mae skin had burned her. Her hands come up slowly and defensively. “Mae…” Lilly breathes out in apology and understanding. 

 

Mae’s face scrunches up in pain before she can hide behind her hands.

 

Lilly shifts from foot to foot. She wanted more than anything to just hug her sister, but it had become obvious to her that wasn’t something she could take for granted anymore. The thought stung. She bits her lip and swallows her own emotions. “I’m going to finish getting the dress off. Just, please turn around. I’ll do my best to not touch you. I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful.”

 

Mae starts sobbing again as she turns away from Lilly.

 

Lilly fights every instinct she has to pull Mae close before she works the dress the rest of the way off Mae’s body. Both girls now wincing when Lilly accidently brushed against Mae’s skin here or there where the fabric was too tight not to. Lilly notes with a frown that the demon hadn’t bothered with undergarments when selecting this particular dress, and once more found herself happy that Sam had killed the bitch. Right now wasn’t the time for those thoughts however. The dress hits the bottom of the tub with a dull wet thwack and Lilly quickly drops to collect it; instructing Mae to pick up one foot at a time, less she trip and fall. 

 

Lilly is soaked by the time she finishes pulling the dress free from the tub. “There you go. I’ll be just outside the door if you need anything. Please for the love of Maat, let me know if there is anything more you need Mae.” She says sadly as she rolls the dress into a wet ball of lace. “My shirt’s on the counter, it should cover everything til the guys get back.” She adds as she closes the shower curtain. Her heart aches for her sister as she blinks her own tears from her eyes. She walks out of the bathroom with one last long look before she dumps the wet ball into the room’s trash. She numbly walks towards the bed and plops on it, still dripping wet from Mae’s shower. 

 

Lilly rolls to her back as she looks to the cheap discolored popcorn tiles. Her eye twitching slightly at the reminder of her time with Vincent. Lilith had fucking done something to her sister, and she couldn’t even imagine what Mae was going through. To be raped was one thing. To be raped by a woman? That was…She’d never thought about it before. It was disturbing. Mae hadn’t needed to say it. Mae hadn’t flinched once near the brothers or Bobby. She’d flinched at her though, her touch. It fucking hurt, and she wasn’t even sure where to start picking up the pieces.  She hadn’t considered Lilith raping Mae as a viable option. Woman usually didn’t use rape as an intimidation tactic. She swallowed the emotions that were starting to choke her. How was she supposed to help Mae, if she couldn’t even touch her? Mae was a tactile person, physical touch meant the most to her. Whether it was hugs, or holding hands, or even something as simple as squeezing her shoulder. She pulls her hands through her hair. She felt completely useless. She should have just let Sam stay with Mae, she felt selfish for kicking the men out. That had proved to be incredibly stupid. She takes a deep breath before slowly letting it back out. So Lilith raped Mae. That was just fuckin’ fantastic, but it surely wasn’t the only topping to this shit-tastic sundae. What else had that psychotic bitch done to her sister? Mae was barely communicating with her, and she knew the guys would be up her ass when they got back. Over her dead body was she going to tell them Mae had been raped by fucking Lilith, she doubted any of them would be able to handle that well. She sighs as she wipes a hand down her face, glancing at the clock on the radio. It had been well over an hour since the guys had left. There was no way in fuck the water in this cheap ass motel was still warm.  She rolls off the bed to her feet. She couldn’t just let Mae get hypothermia either. “Fuck my life.” She sighs as she walks to the bathroom and knocks on the threshold.

 

Lilly waits a moment before she calls out. “Mae, harps, I’m comin’ in okay?” She waits one more moment before she walks in.  She grabs the stack of cheap towels and slowly opens the curtain to shut off the water. She looks down at her sister who was scrubbing herself with a washcloth, and she sinks to her knees. She reaches her hand out slowly. “It doesn’t matter how much you scrub. How much skin you take off. How much you bleed… It won’t make you feel any better…” She sighs as she takes the cloth from Mae’s hand. “You’re still going to feel dirty and used. You’re going to feel beaten and broken and shattered…” She trails off before she looks up at Mae. “I just hope one day you can see it’s not true.”

 

Mae lets out a deep sigh. Lilly was right, it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter before, and it didn’t matter this time. She just couldn’t wash smell of roses away. She nods before she turns to look at Lilly.

 

“Here. I brought towels.” Lilly comments offering Mae the dry towels, resisting the urge to wrap her in one herself.

 

Mae slowly reaches for the towel on top of the stack. She hadn’t realized before that the water had gotten so cold; she was still cold. She stares at the white folded towel in her hand blankly.

 

Lilly watches Mae with pain in her eyes. This was frustrating. She felt completely useless.

 

Mae looks up at Lilly over the towel before she hugs it to her chest. “I’m sorry.” She struggles to choke out, her voice raw and cracked.

 

Lilly tilts her head to the side. “There is literally nothing in this world that you possibly need to apologize to me for, Harps.” She tells her sister honestly, making sure to keep eye contact with Mae.

 

Mae nods vigorously. Her eyes sad as she presses the towel to her chest even tighter. She opens her mouth and tries to speak again, but gives up after a few raspy squeaks.

 

Lilly frowns. “It’s okay, I’ll be here when you’re ready. I promise, I’m not going anywhere…” She trails off. “Unless you want me too…”

 

Mae’s eyes jump up to Lilly’s face as she quickly shakes her head, her eyes panicked at the thought of Lilly leaving her.

 

“Then I’ll stay.” Lilly assures her. “That’s how it’s always worked right? Same as when you turned eighteen. I’ll be with you, until you don’t want me around anymore. It’s a promise”

 

Tears silently fall from Mae’s eyes as she just stares at Lilly, slowly nodding her head.

 

Lilly sighs as she looks down at the stained rug she was kneeling on before she looks back at her sister. “Want help standing? Or do you think you can manage without giving yourself a concussion?” She asks slightly teasing.

 

Mae scrunches her face before she sticks her tongue out.

 

Lilly gives her a lazy half smile. “Alright then, prove me wrong.” She challenges even as she gets to her own feet. She wished she had her first aid kit. There were several lotions that contained warming liniments. This shower seemed more anti productive. She frowns as she looks over her inadequate shirt and shudders slightly at the thought of Mae’s bare skin touching the well used comforter on the double beds. She looks up with a thoughtful head tilt before sending a prayer to Maat. Surely, her goddess would be more helpful in this situation than she could hope to be. 

 

“Lilly?” Maat softly calls out as she walks to stand in the bathroom doorway.

 

Mae screeches as she rips the curtain closed.

 

“My lady.” Lilly greets fist over her heart as she bows in greeting. “Thank you for coming.” She stands up straight, unable to hide the hurt and desperation in her eyes, as she looks to the shower with a frown.

 

Maat tilts her head to the side as she looks over to the curtain currently blocking Mae. She holds a hand out to Lilly as she quickly gains the scope of the situation. “Come here Lilly.”

 

Lilly takes the offered hand with no hesitation.

 

Maat pulls her into a hug that brings her lips to rest next to Lilly’s ear. “You’re doing fine. She’s struggling with the things that were done to her, but she’s hurting more over something she feels she’s done to you. To all of you.”

 

Lilly hugs Maat back, and tries not to cry. “She’s cold, and we don’t have clothes at the moment, and the comforter is nasty, and I didn’t know what else to do. The hunter’s are out gathering supplies...”

 

Maat pats her cheek softly with one hand. With the other she summons a stack of clothes that would all be too large on Mae, but would provide warmth. She also summons large deep blue fluffy towels. “There, does that help?” Maat asks as she waves her hand and the air warms several degrees.

 

“Yes.” Lilly says tightly as she nods. 

 

Maat looks Lilly over. “Why don’t you go join Thoth, while Mae and I talk?”

 

“Okay.” Lilly nods as she steps away from Maat. She pulls her folded shirt off the counter and tugs it on before she all but runs out of the bathroom.

 

Thoth raises an eyebrow at her. “Lilly…”

 

“Thoth.” Lilly greets. “Hi. Thank you for coming. How are you?”

 

Thoth tilts his head to the side with a small smile. “We’re worried about you and your family.”

 

“Well, we accidently freed Lucifer, Mae flinches every time I look at her, and gods, well Maat only knows what else Lilith did to her…But Lilith is dead, so there’s that...”

 

Thoth frowns as he nods. “Maat does only know. Mae can’t really talk right now. But that won’t be a problem. As for Lucifer, you can hardly blame yourselves. Misinformation is a dangerous tool. I believe the phrase, ‘the deck was stacked against you’ works here very well.”

 

“But ignorance is no excuse either.” Lilly sighs as she walks over and plops on the bed. 

 

“Ignorance without question is no excuse.” Thoth corrects. “I seem to remember you asking several questions.” 

 

“And yet we still acted without answers… We ran out of time.” Lilly sighs as she looks to the floor, disgust coloring her features.   
  


Thoth watches her somberly for a moment before he looks to the wall blocking his view of Maat. “I do not blame Sam. I am millenias old and I would have killed Lilith if she was holding a weapon to Maat.”

 

“I’m surprisingly feeling guilt free over it, and that is making me feel guilty over it. I’m truly selfish, I want my family alive more than I care about all the other seven billion people… What the fuck is wrong with me?” Lilly groans as she wipes a hand down on her face and let’s her back hit the bed.

 

Thoth lets out a sigh and brings one hand up to elegantly facepalm. “Of course you feel guilty for not feeling guilty… Why not?”

 

“Sorry.” Lilly sighs.

 

“You do know it is entirely acceptable to want to protect what is yours? You aren’t a soldier, you’re a martyr. You don’t believe in sacrificing the few for the many, especially if it’s your few.” Thoth shakes his head. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. Rationality has nothing on how we feel for our loved ones, no one is that selfless.  _ No one. _ We’re not machines, you odd little idiot.”

 

Lilly looks him over for a moment before she forces herself to sit up. “Damn right I’m not a machine, those things are completely useless.” She looks to the bathroom with a frown. 

 

Thoth follows her gaze. “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

“About what?” Lilly looks to him with a raised brow.

 

“About that…” Thoth gestures to the bathroom door. “About why you called us.”

 

“What is talking about it going to accomplish? I’ll pass.”

 

Thoth shrugs. “It might help you to have someone with a different perspective give advice or opinion.”

 

“Alright.” Lilly nods. Thoth was offering, and she had admirably kept a lid on her damn questions for this long. “Lilith was undeniably certifiable. So, it leaves me in a very gray area. Was this for a reason? Or was this random? What was her goals? Did she even have one? Or was this just like every other run in with a psychopath Mae’s ever had and she sent the bitch over the edge.” 

 

Lilly growls as she pushes off the bed and starts to pace. “What other damage was done? And why? Why was Mae taken by demons, while the angels came and scooped me up? What the fuck is this bullshit, she’s the damn Christian, what the fuck is wrong here? I mean, none of it makes a goddamn lick of fuckin’ sense. I don’t even get why the fucked the damn Winchesters are so damned special. Why the fuck is it always them! They can’t be the only fuckin’ damn people in the world, surely there are others they can force to bend over and take it. Are all hunters this fucking shafted constantly? I don’t have a fucking clue! I fuckin’ ended up murdering the last one I spent any fucking time with! I don’t have enough fucking data to even begin to come up with an answer to that. Not that I want to, mine are e-fuck-ing-nuff, thank you. That’s like me and Mae signing a fuckin’ death warrant. We’re fuckin’ useless against angel’s that are raining down on us like a fuckin’ shower. The damned wards are only so damn helpful, and we have zero way to fuckin’ protective ourselves and that’s frustrating as fuck, because apparently they want Dean for something. And the damned demons want Mae and fuckin’ Sam, and ugh-” She lets out a deep sigh as she runs her hand through her hair. “I’m at a complete fucking loss at how to serve my fuckin’ family. I can’t even be near fuckin’ Mae at the moment without sending her into a damned panic attack.”

 

Thoth watches Lilly as she paces around the room. Maat had been right, get her to crack and the dam would break. He puts a finger to his lip as he listens to her, contemplating the best approach to help her. He tilts his head to the side. “Well, that is certainly a long list of questions and concerns. And you’re right, many of them are useless to contemplate until we have further information to work with. One though, one I can help you solve right now. You and I will have to spend some time working on it.” He frowns as he stares at his palm intently.

 

Lilly looks to him her head tilted slightly to the side, curious to which problem he had a solution.

 

With a flourished had movement he summons a book. “You hate feeling defenseless against the angels. I believe we can remedy that.”

 

Lilly steps forward. “More rituals?” She bites her lip as she looks at the old leather bound book. 

 

“This one is a spell. You cast it on yourself and then transfer through intent and physical contact.” Thoth informs her as he flips through the pages carefully.

 

“So, it’s an defensive spell?” Lilly asks with curiosity.

 

“It certainly has the ability to be adapted to function in that capacity.” Thoth explains as he hands her the open book. “But this in its original intention is an offensive spell.”

 

“Uh, is it okay for me to use an offensive spell?” Lilly feels the need to ask, feeling stupid the minute she asks the question. As she reaches out and takes the book.

 

“Ahmes certainly knows several, far more advanced offensive spells. The current day and age also works in your favor.” Thoth teases her gently.

 

“Thank gods.” Lilly breathes out with a small smile. 

 

Thoth puts his hand to his heart. “Are you suggesting I would have offered you a solution you would be unable to use?”

 

“Seemed like a trap.” Lilly comments absently her eyes scanning the book eagerly.

 

Thoth shrugs. “Fair. I do enjoy tests.”

 

“You do.” Lilly agrees, she’d walked into several in the last year. 

 

“We can start working on it on the days you and Mae come for lessons… and other things.”

 

Lilly looks up to Thoth, her eyes a bright gold. “Thank you.” She smiles, genuinely happy for the god’s assistance.

 

“Does it relieve some of your anxiety of the situation you find yourself in?” Thoth asks as his hand grips the ring connecting him to Lilly. The last three days had been incredibly difficult to navigate. She had sent them updates, but almost none had provided any use for him or Maat to help. 

 

“Some.” Lilly nods with a small sincere smile. “I atleast have a direction to start in.”

 

Thoth nods. “As for your questions about how Mae’s ability works. Once she is well enough, I can help her test her depths.”

 

“Thank you, I’m sure she’ll enjoy doing something productive.” Lilly adds with relief.

 

Thoth observes Lilly reading the book for a moment. “I have some speculations on a few of your questions regarding the reasoning behind the unwanted interest in your family, but nothing so far that I’ve been able to fully extrapolate upon nor verify. I’ve figured they may be of some use to you.” He comments after a moment.

 

“Hey something to work with, even speculations would be welcome. I’ve done quite a bit of my own at this point.”

 

Thoth nods. “My research into the judeo-christian apocalypse has revealed a prophecy that is mentioned numerous time. It refers to the Righteous Man and the Chosen One, and their role in the end of the world. It makes me- Nervous. There are many implications and very little verifiable facts or accountings.”

 

“Well that explains their prophet.” Lilly sighs, as she runs her hands through her hair. “Ironic that the angel’s have no care that their Righteous Man is an atheist bound to a pagan priestess. And Sammy being the demonic version of Harry Potter bound to a half fae... Isn’t that just fuckin’ awesome... It worries me that something is making you nervous, but the end is nigh, so why fucking not.”

 

“The couplings. That is a very obscure reference I found as well. Unfortunately my copy of the scripture is very damaged, but I can make out partial explanations. Your, connection, to Dean, and Mae’s to Sam may be the reason you two are being targeted. But again, this is all circumstantial conjecture.”

 

Lilly turns to look at Thoth with a look of disbelief. “Right, I mean Ahmes was already part of some other prophecy. I mean, I doubt… Huh… I mean… How much of a mistake was I?” She chuckles slightly, in self deprecation.

 

Thoth narrows his eyes at Lilly in reprimand. “You were not a mistake Lilly.”

 

“Right, I mean it’s just speculation at this point. More information is needed to confirm any speculations.” Lilly corrects with a shrug. “And it’s not like we’re not going to have much free time… What with Lucifer crawling out of his cage. I’m sure that’s only going to bring it’s own pile of shit, and I’m honestly surprised Sam even left, it took so much pleading on my end, and that ended up biting me in the fucking ass, not that I’m complaining, cause I’m glad we’re having this conversation, I’m not sure Sam’s going to let Mae out of his sight like this again and I really am not going to blame him...” She breathes out.

 

Thoth lifts an eyebrow. “You’ll all adjust. Things have started to happen on a global scale and it’s only going to get worse. Natural disasters are unfortunately a very common occurrence. In this instance it is a lucky fact, no one has really noticed the shift from the sheer amount of power it took to open the cage.” 

 

“Heard.” Lilly blinks at him. “Well it didn’t take the world long to go from shit to shittier, now did it. That’s just wonderful.” She claps accepting it as fact, and nothing more. 

 

Thoth shrugs. “This isn’t the first time we’ve witnessed the world going through such a drastic change.”

 

“Well, that’s actually surprisingly reassuring.” Lilly sighs.

 

“It should be. Humans are surprisingly resilient and admirable in their ability to adapt and overcome.” Thoth lets out a small chuckle. “It was a compliment.”

 

Lilly smiles slightly. “Took it as one. I have no interest in playing pawn in a war for heaven or hell. If people have averted them before, I see no reason we can’t avert it now.”

 

They both turn their heads as Maat and Mae walk into the room. 

 

Lilly can’t help the smile on her face when she notes Mae dressed like a ragamuffin. Maat had put Mae in one of Sam’s flannel shirts, and her sister’s favorit polka dot pajama pants. The combination of colors had her smile grow wider.

 

“Ew. What is this on the beds? Is that really a material that should be used for bed linens?” Maat asks as she brings a hand up to cover her heart defensively.

 

“I don’t wanna know.” Lilly comments with a snort. “They wouldn’t listen, drug dens are their comfort zone, apparently.”

 

“No.” Maat snaps before she waves her hand over the bed. “Thoth, fix the other one.” She demands as she banishes the filthy subpar bedding and summons proper linens.  

 

“Right.” Thoth can’t help his look of amusement as he lazily waves his hand at the other bed, completely altering it, frame and all.

 

Lilly facepalms, but can’t help the feeling of relief and joy that spreads through her. She loved her gods. This was her pantheon, she couldn’t even fathom following any other gods.

 

“Aww, thank you Lilly. That’s very sweet of you.” Maat smiles over at her as she takes Mae by the elbow and leads her to the bed to tuck her in. 

 

Lilly blushes and smiles sheepishly as she scratches the back of her head. Her eyes carefully following Mae. She let’s out a deep breath when she see’s Maat lower her hand over Mae’s face, making her instantly relax beneath the warm duvet. At least she had her color back.

 

Maat frowns as she places her fingers over Mae’s temples and begins a slow massage. When she is positive Mae would only have pleasant dreams. She stands and looks to Lilly and then Thoth. “You should probably look over her memories, there was much talk between Mae and that demon.” She tells her husband softly as she passes him on her way to Lilly.

 

Thoth turns to look back at Lilly. “With your permission…”

 

“You're not erasing them are you?” Lilly asks with a frown.

 

“No, merely copying.” He assures her.

 

“If you think it will help…” Lilly nods. “But if we could not mention it to anyone that would probably be for the best, but if that bitch said anything that we could glean more information from it would be better to have it now, than to wait for Mae to be willing to speak of it out loud.”

 

Thoth nods solemnly before he stands and walks over to Mae. He rests a hand over her forehead and eyes for a long moment before he turns back to them with a book in his hands. He tucks it into his sleeve as he walks back over to join the two by the table. “She is going to sleep for at the very least a full day. She was... Sleep deprived.” He finishes half heartedly. 

 

“Heard.” Lilly nods with a deep breath. The brothers and Bobby weren’t going to be thrilled, but she’d deal with it. Sleep could only be good for Mae at this point, she could at least start healing.

 

Thoth nods before he looks deeply into Maat’s eyes, his own hard as he shared his opinion with his wife.

 

Lilly’s stomach shifts at Thoth’s somber features. It was concerning, what had the two of them seen? What had Lilith done to her sister? How deep did the damage go? She had already determined the most trauma hadn’t been of the physical nature. It had to have been some form of manipulation, which left psychological and emotional. She turns to look at her sister with a frown on her lips. She wanted to ask them what Mae had been through, so fucking bad, but she’d already invaded her privacy once.

 

Maat turns to Lilly, her eyes sad. She takes Lilly by the hand and turn her back to face the two of them. “Breath Lilly.”

 

Lilly takes a deep breath, realizing her lungs were burning from lack of oxygen. “Right. Sorry.”

 

Maat nods before she guides Lilly to a chair, waving her hand and switching out the whole set with a look of disgust, and pulls her own out to sit across from her. “Lilly… If you wish, I can and will talk to you about what we’ve seen of Mae’s ordeal. You are her sister and have, many times, been her caretaker. You have correctly identified part of the damage inflicted on her, you have guessed many other aspects of her trauma. But there is one thing, and in her mind, it is the biggest sin of the entire situation. But, this is up to you. I can not make this decision for you.”

 

Lilly worries her bottom lip between her teeth. On the one hand, it would be incredibly helpful to know how to start helping Mae, on the other it was a complete breach of privacy. If she was patient enough she could eventually get the pieces. However, she wasn’t sure how much time they would have for that. Even if only a fifth of Thoth’s speculation was true, they weren’t going to have much recovery time. The sooner she could help Mae work through what had happened the quicker Mae would be ready to protect herself. She sighed, one scale completely outweighing the other. “I would like to know.”

 

Maat slowly nods. “She thought about a moment when you were trying to help her, and she managed to apologize, but couldn’t continue talking. Do you know what she was apologizing for?”

 

“Something stupid, I’m sure.”

 

Maat shakes her head. “No Lilly. This is important. This bothers her more than being raped, more than the humiliation and degradation she suffered, more than the torture she endured.”

 

Lilly tilts her head to the side, her stomach twisting as she shifted in discomfort. “What happened?” She asks as she fists the fabric of her skirt over her knees anxiously.

 

“Lilith asked her a lot of questions about the Winchesters, about Bobby, and about you.” Maat continues

 

“Alright. So the bitch interrogated Mae… Seems par for course...” Alistair had interrogated her, seemed to be a standard demon thing to do. However Alistair hadn’t been completely fucking insane, so the thought of what the twisted bitch would cook up left her feeling ill at ease. Why did Mae always get stuck with the complete psychopaths?

 

Thoth lets out a sigh. “If it had been a normal interrogation.” That wasn’t what Lilith had done, Lilith had just played mind games, made Mae talk just to prove she could. The only way she had used the information she had obtained was against Mae.

 

Maat looks up and glares at Thoth. “Lilith did interrogate Mae yes. Mae feels she has, sinned against all of you, has let you all down. She tried to hold out, but she did talk. She believes she told Lilith everything. She is ashamed at how easily she believes she broke.” 

 

Lilly closes her eyes as she leans back in her seat silently thinking about that. Sam, Dean, and Bobby were always snapping at her for passing her traits off to Mae. It seems she’d done a grave disservice to her sister. How had Mae actually thought she could hold off against Lilith? She wasn’t built like that, it’s what made her so shiny; to her, to the rest of their family. She let’s out a deep breath as she opens her eyes and looks back at Maat.

 

Maat tightens her grip around Lilly’s hands. “That’s the thought she had. She feels less than the rest of you. She believes she was targeted because she is the weakest.”

 

Thoth watches Lilly for a moment before he looks to Maat. “Lilly, what you need to understand about all of this is, this is exactly what Lilith was working to accomplish. This, thought, this feeling of inadequacy, Lilith worked the entire time she had Mae to instill the concept in her mind.”

 

Lilly lets out a deep sigh as she drops her head to the back of the chair. It had only been forty eight hours. She had sorely underestimated the first demon, people who suffered mental illness were often brighter than most, but that was often overlooked due to their psychosis.  She felt like an idiot. It was a hell of alot easier to break something than it was to put it back together, and it always left a scar. This did not bode well. This was going to take a lot more time than she had accounted for. Was she even up for it? Were any of them? Sam and Dean weren’t quite the paragons of mental health, and even Bobby stopped short of this particular subject. Mae had been the last truly whole one in the group. She frowns at the thought. She needed to find the fucking strength to do it, because she wasn’t sure what would happen if they lost their guiding light. They were all already so close to being on the dissociative personality train already...

 

“Lilith was the first of the demons. She was very, very old. Most of her existence has been in hell, and you know how that time shift is. Whatever plan Lilith was talking about, she had been working on it for possibly thousands of years. But, Mae is young, and is already beginning to work through her problems. She might not talk for a while, but I believe you will get her back.”

 

“Well, that’s a goal moving to top priority level on my growing list.” Lilly sighs with a somber expression. 

 

“You will have us to help. I’ll expect daily check ins, and you can expect weekly visits.” Maat watches Lilly carefully as Thoth puts one hand on Maat’s shoulder and nods. 

 

“Understood.” Lilly nods. “I really do appreciate the help.” She adds with a small genuine smile. Pieces. She would have to feed this to the Winchesters, and maybe even Bobby in really small pieces. She could do that. She was grateful to her gods. They’d certainly helped clarify and verify several main components that she had been having difficulty pinning down. She would welcome any aid they had to offer happily. Her family, and maybe, if she were honest we're herself, perhaps herself were interwoven in this shit, and the more insight they had the better their chances of survival.

 

“Would you like for us to stay until Dean and the others get back?” Thoth offers.

 

Lilly shoots the clock a look, it had been well over three hours since the guys had left. What the fuck were they doing? Had they been forced to break in somewhere? Or had they been held up by some other means? She really wasn’t sure, but she was positive the three hunters would most likely prefer a divine being free room. They were already stressed and overwhelmed enough with out Thoth’s imposing presence, and not familiar enough with Maat to feel at ease. So she shook her head. “No, I think I will be alright, but I appreciate the offer. I think I’m going to meditate over everything anyways. Get it into some semblance of order.”

 

Maat chuckles as she looks to Thoth. “Her thoughts are not unlike yours.”

 

“Terrifying.” Thoth deadpans.

 

Lilly can’t help but to smile. “Thank you, both of you, again, I greatly appreciate your guidance and perspectives.”

 

They both nod in unison as Maat stands. “Call to us if you need anything.” 

 

“Right.” Lilly nods, standing to bow as both of the gods left, leaving her alone in the room with her sleeping sister. She sighs as she looked around the room before walking over to the newly crafted bed and crawls to the middle of it. She situates herself, and begins humming as she clears her thoughts, making true on her word to meditate and sort over the newly acquired information.


	4. Chapter 2

4

Sam tilts his head to the side, frowning at the strange sight in front of him before he pushes the motel door open slowly. This was not the same room they had left the girls in. It was… Posh? “What. Happened. Here?” He asks as he looks from the designer table to the sleigh beds, noticing Mae tucked in under a large, fluffy dark purple and blue swirled blanket.

Dean pushes Sam into the room. “What’s the hold up-” He pauses. “Well, this is new...” He blinks as his eyes roam over the room in shock, his eyes landing on Lilly who was sitting in the center of her bed, meditating.

Bobby pushes the two boys further into the room. “Do I really need to remind you idjits we have demons on our asses?” He glares at them before he notices the changes in the room.

“Right.” Dean says as he puts the bags in his arms down on the new table. 

Bobby shakes his head as he shuts the door behind him before he goes and drops his own bags on the counter.

Sam drops his bags to the floor and rushes over to check on Mae. He frowns when he sees her wearing his favorite shirt and her favorite pajama pants. What the heck was going on? “Do you think Cass came back?”

“No, this does not look like Cass’ work.” Bobby sighs as he looks at the flowers perfectly arranged in a vase on a table.

Sam shrugs. “Guy brought a fucking tree into your basement Bobby, just to make her happy.”

“And that’s my point jit, it’s all too damned… Prim.”

Lilly opens her eyes. “That took a while. Are ya’ll alright?” She asks with a frown as she takes in the new tears in their clothes. 

Dean shrugs as he gives her a small smile. “Ehh, just a couple of demons. We took care of them. Sorry we’re late.”

“Of course.” Lilly nods, as she rolls off the bed and walks over to Dean. “Maat and Thoth stopped by. Mae had been up for a long time so they put her to sleep. Sorry Sammy.” She says as she looks over to Sam. “She needed the rest.” 

Sam nods absently as he fusses with the blanket, needing something to do for her. “No, that’s uh, that’s probably for the best right? Let her sleep.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, she won’t be up til eleven pm tomorrow, well today.”

“We’re going to have to keep moving, make it hard for them to find us. We’re going to have to look into getting some hex bags or something, extra protection while on the move. And uh. Dammit, I need my car.” Dean runs his hands through his hair.

Lilly looks to Dean and nods. “Alright, sounds like a plan. Moving sounds good, and not riding a lifted car would probably be for the best. When can I expect for Mae and myself to get back to Mystic?” She asks as she scratches the back of her head.

All three men exchange cautious glances. Sam and Dean both turn to look at Bobby.

“No.” Bobby deadpans, crossing his arms as he leans against the wall.

“Dammit Bobby, she listens to you.” Dean grumbles before he turns back to Lilly.

“Are you planning on taking us with you?” Lilly asks with a raised eyebrow.

Dean hesitantly nods. “Uh, yeah. We are… Planning that.”

Lilly looks at him blankly before she turns to look at Mae. How was Mae going to handle no stability? She supposed it would even out with Sam, but that still left her. She couldn’t even be near Mae without her flinching, and her gods had offered to help her; it would be easiest at Mystic. “Why?”

Sam lets out a deep sigh. “Because Mystic isn’t safe. Both sides know where you live.” He shakes his head. “Keeping you two with us and constantly on the move is safest until we figure out more of the situation.”

Lilly purses her lips together. She was sure that wasn’t untrue. “Aren’t we just going to end up getting in the way? If you three are really going to go up against Satan himself, his army, and not to mention the whole heavenly host. Don’t get me wrong Mae and I will help, but we learned pretty recently that we are not the ones with the loaded deck. Mae might not be hunter ready for a while, and I’m nowhere near field ready. We’re a liability. You three have to know that, having the two of us with you is only going to slow you down at the moment.” 

Dean shakes his head. “Until we know what we’re dealing with, what the total fall out of this is, we’re sticking together and moving around. When, or if, we all decide it's safe for you to go home, we’ll come up with the plans to ensure it’s as safe as we can make it. But we’re gonna have to cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“Okay, let me rephrase. I don’t want to travel.” Lilly sighs as she takes a step back from Dean. “And I don’t think it’s good for Mae right now either.”

Dean grimaces before he walks over to her and takes her by the hand to lead her into the bathroom. He lifts an eyebrow at the new additions to the bathroom, but doesn’t comment as he softly shuts the door behind him. “Lilly, seriously, what do you want me to do here? You can’t go home yet. It’s not safe.”

“We demon and angel proofed Mystic, and I’m often overlooked anyways Dean. I’m not going to be any help on the road.”

“Mae is not overlooked though.”

“I don’t think it would be a necessarily bad thing if we were separated at the moment.”

“You’re certainly not going to Mystic alone. The fuck is wrong with you?” Dean demands as he crosses his arms in front of his chest.

“I’ll be alright Dean, but that’s where all my books and supplies are. It’s where my altar is. It’s where my herbs and medicines are.” Lilly points out with a slight frown. 

“No. You wanted me to promise to never, ever put you in an enclosed space for your safety, fine, you won that. But you can’t make up new rules every time you find yourself slightly inconvenienced by my plan to keep you safe now either.” Dean whispers to her harshly.

Lilly closes her mouth, shocked by his perspective. “Right.” She nods as she takes a step back and looks him over. “If you think it’s for the best, fine.” She adds, resigned; it hurt that he thought she couldn’t handle being inconvenienced, but it wasn’t fully wrong either. She hated these shitty hotel rooms, she wasn’t on par with accepting the squalor lifestyle that came with being a hunter.

Dean lets out a relieved sigh before he pulls her to him in a tight embrace.

Lilly looks up as she moves her hand over his jaw feeling the tremors just beneath his skin. “I’m sorry Dean. I don’t mean to undermine you… You’re right. You know more about this lifestyle than I do...”

“I’m sorry Lilly. I wish I could take you home. I wish I could keep you safe.” Dean pulls back just enough to look her in the eyes. “Honestly, right now, I don’t even want you out of my sight. This whole situation is so fucking far above my paygrade, and it’s after all of us.”

Lilly looks at him, studying him for a moment. “I’m glad you can recognize that, maybe it will keep you from taking it on if gods forbid something happens in the future. I’m sorry you feel like I’m always questioning you Dean… The last couple days just has my mind spinning and it’s more difficult to focus in these types of places. I need clarity or I lose all focus, it's a problem I’ve yet to overcome. I just need to inform the shop and some other’s that we won’t be home for a while… I’m not trying to make your life more difficult...”

“I know that babe. I promise, I know. And you’re not. You scared me. I- I thought you were going to really fight me on this. I’m sorry I was-”

Lilly holds her hand up, interrupting him before he can begin degrading himself. “In fighting is counter productive when we have such a large pile of shit coming our way.” She frowns. “It’s fine Dean, I was just curious is all. Please don’t apologize for worrying about me, that’s kinda dumb.”

“No, I- What? No, I was apologizing for being so… Aggressive. I’m just. Fucking demons jumping us outta no where, in the middle of fucking nowhere. You and me getting angel napped. Mae.” Dean leans back against the wall and roughly bangs his head, “Gods, we don’t even know what happened to her. And dammit if Sam isn’t hating himself for ending the fucking world and I can’t even be mad at him. I mean yeah, I told him not to fucking trust Ruby, but damn. They certainly knew the right strings to pull with that stunt. Fucking angels, fucking demons.” 

Lilly sighs as she just hugs Dean to her closely. “Mae didn’t say a word to me while you were gone… I think that’s part of my concern, she flinches whenever I move near her. She needs to be treated delicately at the moment, it will just take her longer to start talking if we rush her. And I doubt she’ll be feeling anyone else’s emotions for a while and we know how that turned out last time. It’s… hard. I just want to hold her, but it would break my heart if she screamed at my touch. Lilith took that away from her, too.” She admits as she blinks away her tears. She slowly takes in a deep breath holding it for a moment before she breathes out. Everything felt overwhelming but she needed to keep it in check for Dean. Resource checking had just become that much more difficult, but she saw no point in burdening the others with speculations. Except maybe Bobby. She might talk to Bobby about most of it. Leave Mae being tortured, mind fucked, and raped out of it; that was Mae’s story to share. The being made to feel less than however, that may have to be one of their sooner talks.

Dean shifts and sinks down onto the side of the tub, pulling Lilly with him and into his lap. He rocks back and forth with her held to his chest, his eyes stinging as he also thought over their current situation. He wasn’t being fair to Lilly. He knew that. It didn’t change anything though, he had to keep her safe while they figured out which way was up. That meant keeping her with him. She tried to say they wouldn’t be able to get anything done with the girls near; but she was wrong. He’d never be able to focus if he had no idea what she was doing, or where she was. Lilith had just shown up and taken Mae, Zachariah had taken Lilly right out from under his nose. No, it would be a very long time before he could stand to be away from her again. He takes a deep breath and let’s it out slowly. “We’re just barely treading water here, and we just can’t catch a fucking break.”

Lilly takes several deep breath, content to take refuge in Dean’s arms as she wipes stray tears from her face. She looks up him, noting the way his skin pulled in worry, his jaw tensed as he clenches his teeth together. It hurt to see him like this. She picks her hand up and begins to massage his neck. She frowns when she feels how hard his muscles are and shifts so both hands could work on the tension. “You’re giving yourself wrinkles.” She sighs. “I’d say for five humans going up against the armies of both heaven and hell we’re all actually faring pretty well… I’m impressed we’re not all dead.” She smiles as she leans forward and kisses his chest. 

Dean chuckles, his eyes tight as he presses his lips to Lilly’s temple. “You really lecturing me on wrinkles little-miss-frowns-a-lot?”

“Oh, baby, are you telling me I can start putting masks on you?” Lilly asks as she smiles at him.

“Will it make ya smile to see me all decked out in that girly shit?”

“Only if I can take pictures.” Lilly comments with a shit eating grin.

Dean holds his hand up between them and gives her a very stern look. “Whoa… we’re crossing lines here now.”

Lilly giggled she nuzzles into him and holds him tightly. “Right. Get you drunk first. Heard.”

“At least I ain’t no lightweight. Ya have your work cut out for you if that’s your plan.” Dean chuckles as he stands with her still in his arms.

“And a challenge.” Lilly smiles as she nips his chest.

Dean shakes his head before he claims her lips, this kiss far less desperate than the one she’d given him back in the convent, but no less passionate. 

Lilly breaks the kiss. “Let’s go pack up and head out then.” 

“Woah whoa whoa. That kiss reminds me…” Dean bounces her to hold her bridal style. “What was going on back at the convent?

Lilly turns to look up at Dean. “I could hear him. Feel him. See his wings...” She explains simply with a shrug. 

Dean tilts his head to the side. “Huh…” He lifts his brow in surprise.

“Huh, what?” Lilly asks as she watches him.

Dean shrugs slightly. “It’s just weird that you and Mae can both hear angels I guess. All I can ever hear is nails on chalkboard, high pitch, ear bleeding sounds.”

“Is it? I have an egyptian priestess sharing a ba with me, and Mae is part fairy. Her hearing has always been really sensitive.”

“I don’t think it’s sensitivity Lils. Cass said only special people can hear angels.”

“Oh, are half fae common?” Lilly asks teasingly. “And, I think it’s more odd you can’t.” She admits more seriously. He was the Righteous Man, after all. Someone in the human resource department had made a serious error. What the fuck were they smoking up there?

Dean frowns at her. “Point taken…” He shrugs before he opens the door and walks them back into the the room with Sam and Bobby.

“You two better now?” Bobby grumbles as he continues packing their new duffle bags. 

“Yeah.” Dean nods as he puts Lilly down, watching as she immediately jumped in to help Bobby. 

“Do we take the comforter?” Sam asks with a frown.

Lilly shakes her head. “It’s all just a glamour so Maat could deal with being in this room. It’ll all right itself.”

Dean mockingly rolls his eye. “Like goddess like diva.” He teases.

Lilly slowly turns to glare at Dean. “Sorry some of us have standards.” She sniffs indignantly.

“Oh yeah? And just where would your standards like for us to grab breakfast?” Dean continues to tease

“Oh, I guarantee that it’s no where we’re going.” Lilly smiles at him. “I’m not fallin’ into that trap.”

Dean puts his fist to his mouth, his eyes wide over his knuckles. “I was just asking for your opinion on breakfast… Excuse the fuck outta me.” He chuckles, unable to get through his teasing with a straight face.

“You’re excused, I can’t blame you heathen, but some of us want more than meat and grog for our meals.”

“Oh… Get a room you two, or cut it the fuck out and help out. We need new wheels, and it’s gonna need a few modifications before we can safely travel.”

“Heard.” Lilly nods as she sorts out the salt into it’s own bag. “Did ya’ll happen to get hot glue guns…”

“I grabbed one.” Sam nods to one of the spilled bags on the ground near the door.

Lilly sighs with relief. “Thank you!” She chirps as she hunts it down and adds it to the bag. 

“I’ll go hunt down a suitable car.” Dean says as he walks towards the door.

“Oh I can do that!” Lilly volunteers. “Also until we have the hex bags, I’m the least likely to attract unwanted attention.”

“No!” The three men shout.

“Not alone you ain’t.” Bobby adds as an afterthought. 

“Okay… Nope, I’ll just stick to the packing. I just thought it would be the most logical option if ya’ll have already been attacked once. But that’s okay, we can do it this way too.”

Dean looks down at the floor for a moment. “Come on Hufflepuff, let’s go car shopping.” She made a good point.

“Right, I’m not sure of the obscura’s area of effect, so you enjoy the shopping.” Lilly shrugs as she continues sorting the salt. She wasn’t sure if her and Dean being readily accessible together was a good thing either. They were all individual pieces on the board. She sighed, she saw a lot of one on one time with Sammy in the future. They needed fuckin’ hex bags.

“Alright then.” Dean shrugs in reply before he ducks out, clicking the door shut behind him.

5

Mae opens her eyes to a faint light streaming in through dirty windows. She furrows her brow as she looks around the unfamiliar room. This wasn’t the same motel she’d fallen asleep in. She sits up slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. Sam was asleep in the bed with her, Dean in the other bed. She tilts her head as she continues looking around for Lilly, until she sees the top of her head in front of the door; she looked like she was meditating. 

She sighs as she pulls her knees to her chest, frown on her lips. Maybe she’d feel better with a shower? The smell of roses was still thick in the air around her, making her feel ill. She scoots off the bed and quietly pads to the bathroom, not wanting to wake or jar any of her family before she slips into the bathroom and leaves the door slightly ajar behind her. She smiles when she see’s Lilly must have already taken her own shower. She had little jars of homemade beauty products, ghetto rigged from baby oil and coffee grounds and sugar. Lilly could be such a princess sometimes; not that she was complaining. She pulls the coffee scrub jar off the counter and starts her shower.

An hour later Mae steps out to find clothes laid out for her on the countertop. Someone was up. She quickly dresses and twists her hair up into the towel before she takes a seat on the edge of the tub. She had to face them eventually. She’d tried to apologize to Lilly, but she was sure Lilly hadn’t understood. Maybe she could try again today. Or maybe she could just curl up in the corner and cry. One sounded like a much more realistic option. She reaches up to wipe at her eyes. Yep. Cry it was then. She lets out a deep sigh before she forces herself to stand and walk back into the room. 

Lilly looks up from where she was now curled on a chair, crouched over a book with a cup of coffee in her hand. “There’s O.J. in the small joke these people are calling a fridge.” She offers.

Mae smiles as she walks over to the mini fridge and pulls one of the little juice boxes. Her hand drops down to her stomach as it lets out a growl. She hadn’t realized she was hungry.

Lilly looks at her with a frown. “The chinese food is all yours too, I would’ve cooked but apparently the owners of this shit hole don’t want people lighting up their meth pipes inside...I think I shot up heroin here in a past life.” She adds rather darkly smiling at her own joke, as she turns the page in her book.

Mae chuckles softly as she goes back into the fridge for the box of chinese. She grabs a plastic fork off the top before she slowly moves to sit across the table from Lilly. She fiddles with the top of the container nervously.

Lilly takes a sip of her coffee, watching Mae carefully. “We’re part of the traveling circus now.”

Mae furrows her brow and tilts her head to the side.

“They want us to stay with them. They think we’ll be kidnapped again.” Lilly explains bluntly seeing Mae’s confusion. “We’re on our way to Chuck’s and before or after we’re hunting down baby.”

Mae shrugs and stabs her fork into the box of lo mein before taking a large bite.

Lilly takes another sip of her coffee and goes back to reading, giving Mae time to eat in peace. 

Mae quickly polishes off the leftover lo mein and her juice before she goes back for more. As she’s walking back she stops next to Lilly and gently taps the book with one nail before she sits back down.

“Thoth loaned it to me. Defensive spells.” Lilly provides with a small smile, she looks up and places one of her fingers to her lips. “It’s our secret. I’m not sure how they’re going to feel about it...”

Mae nods and draws and x over her lips before she stabs the straw into the juice box.

“Yeah, I’m not really worried about you telling them anything.” Lilly sighs as scratches the back of her head.

Mae drops her eyes to the table. She felt bad, but she was afraid that if she started talking she wouldn’t stop, and then more tears and sobbing and- Yeah, she’d rather avoid that cycle right now. At least she had eaten, the guys weren’t going to be able to complain about that this time.

Lilly shakes her head and goes back to her coffee and book. 

Mae sits there quietly until she finishes her second juice box. She starts fiddling with it after a few minutes; tapping out a slow rhythm with it absently.

“Wanna see something adorably funny?” Lilly asks after several moments of Mae’s tapping, feeling her sister’s tension. Her eyes dart to the guys to make sure they were still sleeping.

Mae looks up, her hand freezing mid tap as she nods.

Lilly holds her fingers to her lips again as she quickly races to grab a bag, and comes to the table with it. “The guys bought us clothes” She grins as she unzips the bag as quietly as she can. 

Mae plucks at the clothes she was currently wearing. Shorts and a button up flannel. 

“Some of it was right.” Lilly grins before she pulls out a handful of bra’s of random colors and sizes.

Mae chuckles. She hadn’t been able to wear the bra in the bathroom this morning. She pulls the shoulder of her shirt to the side to show she was strapless and therefore braless at the moment.

“I know.” Lilly smiles as she pulls down her own shirt and shows her breasts bound by bandages. “My bra is drying in the bathroom, I hand washed it this morning after I found these. I think it’s adorable. One of us is going to have to go next time. I’m not a thirty F, and you're not a thirty C… I don’t even know where they got these numbers or letters. I’m just short. They look bigger.” She comments as she holds one of her bra’s up to her chest to prove her point, the gap a laughable four inches. 

Mae rolls her eyes as she chuckles. This was an old, familiar argument. This was nice though, it felt like them; made her feel like herself. She claps her hand over her mouth in surprise. Her throat wasn’t hurting. How long had she been asleep?

Lilly’s eyes widen as she shoves the bra’s back into the bag with a blush at how loud Mae had ended up laughing. She smiles sheepishly at Mae as Dean jumps out of bed, and Sam grunts himself awake.

“Mornin’ Tex.” Lilly smiles at Dean, she greets.

“Lilly? You okay. What’s goin’ on?” Dean asks as he walks over.

“Nothing, Mae and I were just talking.” She smiles innocently as she picks her up coffee starts drinking it.

Sam turns to look at the bed next to him in confusion. “Oh, morning baby.” He yawns and stretches before he stands from the bed.

Mae just stares down at her empty juice box.

Dean tilts his head to the side as Sam plops down next to Mae and pulls her to him lazily. “I’m glad you’re up.” He yawns before leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Mae does her best to hide a shudder before she plasters a smile on her face

Lilly sighs as she takes her book and cup from the table and moves to the small kitchenette, to give Mae some reprieve. It wasn’t much, but it was less people in her face. She pulls herself up on the shoddy counter top and situates herself there.

“Mae? You okay?” Dean asks as he looks between her and Lilly as she settles on the counter.

Mae looks up at Dean and nods slowly, her smile starting to look brittle.

Dean looks at her with disbelief. What was with these two and lying about how they were doing? Did they even realize how bad they were at it? “Right. You look fine.” He sighs sarcastically as he takes a seat.

Mae purses her lips and shrugs before she drops her eyes back to the juice box in her hand.

Sam pulls Mae in, hugging her tightly. “It’s okay baby, you can talk when you’re ready.” He states with a pointed look to his brother.

Dean rolls his eyes as he leans back in his seat. “That’s not what I meant…” He pouts. 

Mae frowns and her eyes start to tear up. She was dissapointing Dean, frustrating him. 

Sam looks over Mae and frowns, adjusting to hold her closer. “I’ve got you baby, he’s just being a dick.” 

Mae shakes her head, not agreeing with his assessment.

Lilly watches from the kitchen and frowns. They were just as bad as she was. The back of her head hits the wall before she pushes off the counter and begins looking for a pen and some paper. Was it enabling to let Mae talk with the other’s via writing, she was positive it was. Did she care? Not even by a little fuck. Any form of communication was better than watching this catastrophe play out in front of her.

“I’m not! I mean, sure it was a bit of a stupid question but I mean- I’m sorry Mae.” Dean sighs as he scratches the back of his head.

Mae shakes her head again, her eyes wide as tears ran down her cheeks.

Dean winces when he see’s Mae’s tears. “I didn’t mean anything by it!” He quickly tells her as he holds his hands up defensively.

Mae lets her head drop to the table in frustration. She wanted to talk, wanted to feel, but she was afraid of the consequences of starting that path right now. She just, she needed the numbness, just for a few more days.

“Good job Dean.” Sam scoffs as he glares at his brother.

“Are you two fuckin’ serious right now?” Lilly snaps as she glares at the brothers, with a quirked brow she slides a stained pad of paper and a pre chewed pencil towards Mae. It was the best she could find. 

Mae’s lip quivers as she looks up and gratefully pulls the paper and pencil to her and writes a quick message.

Please stop Dean. You didn’t do anything.

“What did I do?” Dean asks Lilly with a hurt expression.

“He started it.” Sam defends with a pout.

Lilly lets out a deep sigh, as she face palms and walks away from the table with a shake of her head. 

Mae lets out a sigh before she takes the paper back and writes again.

You’re right Dean, not okay. But not ready to talk.  
I’m sorry

Dean reads the two notes with a frown. “It’s alright Mae, take your time. Just please don’t lie about it… It’s awful, and painful to watch.” He sighs as he looks Mae over.

Mae just taps the last two words of her message again.

Dean frowns. “That’s not what I meant…” He sighs. “I’m just worried about you, you slept for two days. We’ve been worried about you.”

Mae’s eyes widen.

“Maat aided your sleep.” Lilly supplies when she see’s Mae go for the paper. 

Bobby?

“Bobby went back to Sioux Falls to go grab some supplies.” Sam informs her with a grin.

Mae slowly nods before she starts randomly doodling on the paper.

Sam and Dean watch her intently, curious if she was going to write anything else, the silence draws Lilly’s attention. She watches the way Mae’s pencil twirls over the page, before she giggles. 

“She’s done talking guys.” Lilly snorts as she picks her book back up, and goes back to reading about intentions with spells.

Mae looks up from her random art to see the guys staring at her intently. She slowly taps her eraser against the ‘Sorry’ already on the page.

Dean shakes his head before he stands up. “Right. Well since Mae’s back to the land of the living, we’re only an hour out from Chuck’s. I say we head over now, and pick up food on the way.”

Mae nods as she pulls the paper and pencil closer to her. It felt good to be drawing again.

“I’m good with that.” Sam nods with a wide yawn. 

Dean looks over to Lilly. “That sound like a plan to you?” He asks expectantly.

It takes a minute for Lilly to realize he was talking to her. “Sorry, what?” She asks when she looks up and meets Dean’s eyes.

Dean shakes his head. “You good with heading out now?”

Lilly blinks at him. Did it matter really matter if she was or wasn’t? “Sure.”

“Good. Let’s head out in say half an hour?”

“Dibs on bathroom.” Sam grunts as he gently moves Mae off his lap before he stands and shuffles to the bathroom.

“Dammit…” Dean grumbles as he stands and goes to his own bag.

Lilly rolls her eyes as she turns back to her borrowed book with a small smile on her lips. One leg hanging off the counter.

Mae scribbles a quick note on her page and stands before she walks over to Lilly and puts the paper next to her.

Thank you for understanding

“Hey no problem, what are older sisters for?” Lilly assures her with a smile, resisting the urge to reach out and muss Mae’s hair.

To Mae’s credit, she keeps a smile on her face; but her whole body goes cold at the word.

Lilly frowns as she notes the slight change in Mae at her words, the way her eyes dull slightly and more tears gathered. What had she done now? “Why don’t you continue drawing. I’ll strip the beds.” She offers as she pushes off the counter and walks off towards the beds. She’d stepped on another damn landmine, and she was going to make it worse if she continued watching Mae. She was going to end up hugging her, and Mae was going to scream and she wasn’t sure how she would explain that to the guys or feel about it in general. She wanted to scream. This fucking sucked, but maybe Mae drawing would help some. She knew playing guitar usually helped to distract her from her thoughts.

Mae clutches at the material of her shirt over her heart as she tries to get it to slow down. The lump in her throat tightens, threatening to steal her breath. She shakes her head. She had to beat this. She couldn’t break down. She drops her eyes down to look at the paper in her hands. Lilly had dismissed her, like telling a child to go play while the adults worked. She blinks at the burning in her eyes before she turns her back to the room and sits back at the table, already absently doodling again. 

6 

“How do you two live like this?” Lilly complains as she tucks her head into her arms. This diner was disgusting. Were they immune to Hep A at this point, because she wasn’t certain she or Mae were. “I’m not eating any food from that kitchen.”

“Lilly, you have to eat something. Both of you do.” Dean glares at Lilly.

“I can, literally mind you, point out seventeen health code violations, right now.” Lilly grouses. “And those are just the ones they don't care if their customers see.”

“Maybe Chuck will let you use the kitchen to cook. Would that make you feel better?” Dean snaps, still looking his own menu over.

“Uh sure, if I have fifteen hours to clean it first.” Lilly says, blatantly ignoring his tone. “Which we don’t have.”

Sam chuckles absently before moving closer to Mae, “See anything worth getting?”

Mae absently points to the only salad on the menu.

Lilly groans at the reminder that they were currently eating at a restaurant with a picture menu. What the fuck was a Waffle house? This place was disgusting. There was fucking dust on the damned syrup bottle for Thoth’s sake. 

“So guys, we ready to order?” Their waitress asks, coming over to stand behind Sam and Mae. She lightly brushes a few wisps of blonde hair back from her face with her pen, before she fiddles with the name tag on her pristine white shirt. “Ladies first?” She asks, delicately placing a hand on Mae’s shoulder. 

Mae stiffens and turns her head to look up at the person touching her before she let’s out a half choked scream. She jumps up and backs away from the woman, turning quickly to run for the restroom.

Lilly’s jaw tenses as she jumps over the booth and follows right on Mae’s heels.

“Mae!?” Sam shouts, getting up as well, only to have his sleeve grabbed by Dean. “Let Lilly try to talk to her for a few minutes.” He whispers, turning back to the waitress, explaining that Mae was ill and not sleeping well. He puts in everyone's order with a disarming smile at the younger waitress.

7 

“Mae, Mae, let me in.” Lilly begs gently as she knocks on the locked bathroom door. “Please, it’s just me, let me in Harpy.” She pleads with the door, her heart twisting in her chest. 

She sighs in relief when she hears the lock turn and pushes the door open to find Mae standing at the sink, the water cranked to full heat as she scrubbed her back where the waitress had touched her, occasionally splashing water in her face.

Lilly slips in and locks the door behind her, sighing in relief as she turns around and goes to her sister. She grabs several paper towels from the dispenser to hold under the water and pumps soap onto it before she pulls down her sister’s shirt and begins washing the spot the blonde had touched her. Lilly’s silent as she scrubs til the spot is raw and nearly bleeding.

Mae slowly looks up at her in the mirror, the tears still falling down her face.

“There. All gone.” Lilly says shooting a small smile to her sister's reflection. “No cell remains where she touched you.”

Mae gives her a half smile before her expression becomes more apologetic, her eyes drop back to the paper towels in her hand. She couldn’t even remembering running to the bathroom, she was just suddenly in here and scrubbing her back in a panic.

“Don’t. Don’t make that face. Please.” Lilly comments softly as she uses a new paper towel to gently brush Mae’s tears away.

Mae balls her hands up into fists and rubs them against her eyes, shaking her head as she stands there, looking lost.

“I understand.” Lilly admits slowly, leaning her back against the sink. “I’m sorry, I didn’t… that I wasn’t paying more attention the waitress. Sam should've sat on the outside of the booth.” She sighs as she rubs the back of her head. “I’m going to be honest Mae. I’m lost here. I don’t know how to help you right now…” 

Mae lets out a shaky breath, sobs breaking through her body as she fought to not fall apart on Lilly in a public restroom.

“Sshhh it’s okay Mae, cry. It’s alright.” Lilly coaxes as she wraps her arms around herself, her nails biting her arms as she resisted the urge to step closer to her sister and pull her into a hug. The last thing she wanted to do was make Mae scream.

Mae shakes her head, pointing down at the small piles of trash on the ground.

“You’re more important than this, harpy, it’s okay.” Lilly shushes her, as her sister's sobs pull at her heartstrings.

Mae shakes her head and opens her mouth as if to say something. She stamps her foot in frustration as the lump settles in her throat again, making it hard for her to breath.

“Harpy it’s okay, shh, it’s okay. I understand. I’m not going to make you talk, I promise.” Lilly assures her softly as she shifts in discomfort, misunderstanding her sister’s frustration.

Mae shakes her head and tears new paper towels out of the dispenser to wipe her face with.

Lilly raises her eyebrow and studies Mae for a moment with a frown. She sucked at charades, and as expressive as Mae was, it was lost in translation. She hangs her head and sighed. “Can you not talk to me? Is that it? I can go get Sam…” She offers as she looks back up at Mae.

Mae shakes her head again and grabs her throat in frustration.

Lilly tilts her head to the side as she steps forward. “I’m going to touch you.” She warns gently, before she slowly lifts her hands and begins palpating Mae’s lymph nodes. “Is it sore?” She asks with a frown. 

Mae lets out a slow breath and shakes her head.

Lilly nods before she opens her mouth and makes a ‘ahh’ noise before gesturing to Mae.

Mae automatically bends and opens her mouth, but doesn’t make any sound.

Lilly frowns as she inspects Mae’s mouth. It didn’t look irritated. “Right. Not that either… Did you sell your voice for legs?” She asks with a raised eyebrow. 

Mae couldn’t help the small chuckle at Lilly’s reference.

“Nope, you can laugh. Right. Okay…So not that either. We’ll figure it out. It might just take time Harps.”

Mae nods sadly, wishing she had the paper on her, but she had left it in the car.

Lilly closes her eyes as she reaches out before she drops her hand. “I feel like it’s only fair to be honest with you. I know. Not all of it, but I know enough…”

Mae sniffs, but nods. She points out the door.

Lilly shakes her head. “No. It’s yours to tell.”

Mae wraps her arms around herself.

“I just want you to know I don’t blame you for anything Mae. It’s not your fault. You didn’t want her to touch you, any more than you wanted to talk. There is nothing you could possibly do to lose me as your sister. I love you Mae, she didn’t take that from you. She couldn’t, short of killing me and she can’t do that now cause Sammy murdered her crazy ass. She’s dead. She’s not coming back. She’ll never touch you again. She can’t.” Lilly says softly as she looks over her sister with concern. She really hadn’t been planning on talking about this in a damned diner restroom, but Mae needed to know that someone understood.

Mae blinks and twin tears race down her cheeks. She shivers and shakes her head at the memory of what Sam had done, how he had looked with black eyes. It felt like it was very much her fault, she hadn’t been able to call out to him in time; had not been able to stop him. She balls her hands up into fists. She had been used, used in nearly every way. She had broken. Mae lets out a sigh. Lilly wouldn’t have. 

Lilly sighs as she slowly lifts up her hand several times just to drop it, only to pull her hands behind her back clasping her hands behind her back to keep from touching Mae. If Mae screamed at her touch, the same way she’d screamed at the waitress she’d cry. This was fucking painful and frustrating. Maat had divulged the information so she could be more useful, but she was terrified that any attempt of comfort would be misinterpreted as an attack. Perhaps if she knew exactly what Lilith had done to her sister she’d be more comfortable approaching her but til then, this was just going to have to be at Mae’s discretion. 

A sudden rap on the bathroom door startles both girls; Mae instantly shoots to Lilly’s side and ducks behind her, pulling her to her tightly.

Lilly lets out an oof, at the unexpected contact her hands automatically coming up to hold Mae’s arms closer to her. “Occupied.” She calls out.

“It’s me.” They hear Sam call out. “I just wanted to check on you two. We got the food to go...”

Lilly looks to Mae for a sign of what she wanted her to do. 

Mae breaths out quietly; attempting to settle her panic as she rests her face against Lilly’s shoulder.

“Be out in a minute.” Lilly calls back out, before she turns and pulls Mae to her closely. “I legitimately, don’t think they know… But Sam’s going to figure it out eventually, it would be better if ya jus’ told him… But please don’t feel obligated to.” Lilly coaxes even as she rubs her hands up and down her sister’s back in comfort, each of her movements slow and hesitant as she watches Mae’s face closely for any sign of discomfort.

Mae nods tearfully.

Lilly chuckles “I really don’t know what part you're nodding at…”

Mae smiles as she draws a circle in the air.

“All of it, got it...” Lilly smiles as she watches Mae for a moment. “She fucking played with you Mae. She hurt you. She just, she fucked you up…She touched you.” 

Mae nods slowly.

“But she doesn’t have power over you. She doesn’t know us. She doesn’t know me. Or Dean. Or Bobby. Or Sammy. Even if you poured everything out, she doesn’t know who we really are. She doesn’t know how much we love you. How far we’d go for you…”

Mae drops her eyes quickly, but doesn’t let go of Lilly’s shirt that was balled up in her fist.

Lilly shakes her head. “Cause I don’t think you realize how much we care about you. I don’t know what her end goal was, but you’re better than this. You’re stronger than this. I know with some time, you’ll be right back to your wonderful Harpy-self, but til then, I’ll be by your side, making bad interpretations of your miming. I promise you that. Cause if that bitch really wanted you to be alone, she shoulda killed me.”

Mae wraps her arms tightly around Lilly and buries her face against her shoulder as she starts crying again.

Lilly smiles as she hugs Mae back tightly, her hand making comforting circles into Mae’s back. “Don’t cry yourself to sleep in this bathroom. Or I’ll have to louse your ass. It’ll be painful, I don’t wanna do it, but dammit Mae I will.”

Mae shakes in laughter. “Love you.” She manages to whisper before the lump settles back in place.

Lilly beams at Mae’s whispers words. “I love you too Mae. You’re my sister, my family. I wouldn’t have anything if it weren’t for you.” 

Mae flinches, but quickly tries to cover it up by squeezing Lilly tighter.

“What was that?” Lilly asks her eyes watching her sister closely, concerned at the pained expression she had briefly shown, at the word sister. That was the word. That’s what she kept saying that was setting her off. She couldn’t help the low growl. “If that bitch wasn’t already dead.” 

Mae lets out another sigh. 

Lilly takes a deep breath before she looks up at Mae. “You will be ok Soror. I know you will. I have faith in you.” She smiles even as tears gather in her eyes as she wonders what the blonde haired bitch possibly could have done to her sister. She pulls Mae in closer, not wanting her to see she was crying too.


	5. Chapter 3

8  

 

Dean glares at the bag of untouched salads squeezed between him and Lilly on the center console. “I thought you two were hungry?” He comments before he turns back to the road.

 

Mae frowns and holds her hand out for her food.

 

Sam leans forward to pick up the bag and hands it to Mae.

 

“Feel free to eat both.” Lilly sighs as she turns the page in her book. “I saw you destroy the lo mein this morning.”

 

Mae just pouts at her before accepting the bag from Sam.

 

“That was you?” Dean asks as he looks into the rearview mirror.

 

Mae’s eyes widen. Did she eat his leftovers?

 

“I was surprised the growl that echoed through that room wasn’t what woke you two up this morning.” Lilly comments with an eyeroll.

 

“Uh huh. Well now that I know that. Sorry Mae.” Dean winks at Mae in the rearview mirror before he snaps his head to the side. “But you. Now you are worrying me. Again.”

 

“Are you aware of the fact you're driving, and that men as a whole are horrible at multitasking. Maybe you should be more concerned about that.” Lilly supplies dismissively. 

 

Dean grumbles as he turns back to the road. “When was the last time you ate?”

 

“I ate with you last night.” Lilly comments with an eye roll. “We had grease, with a side of grease. I ate it, and felt the years just shave right off my lifespan.” She says as she uses the book as a grater, rubbing her other hand against it to emphasize her point.

 

Mae chuckles as she starts on her salad. She smiles up at Sam when he wraps his arm around her shoulders and lazily runs a finger along where her sleeve ended.

 

“I’m with Lilly on this one Dean. That place was disgusting. The bag was transparent, and it was paper.” Sam adds, teasing his brother. Not that he didn’t agree with him. Lilly had barely touched the food last night. Though if he were honest, he couldn’t really recall a time Lilly did more than peck at her food. 

 

“See, Sammy agrees. I’m not sure if that’s helpful or hurtful at the moment, but I’ll take it.” Lilly sighs as she turns to smile at Sam and Mae, using it as an excuse to check on Mae. She tilts her head slightly to the side when she sees the way Sam was holding her, and turns right back around. The realization hits her with disgust; she was jealous. Mae wasn’t flinching at Sam’s touch. She takes a deep breath, breathing herself that it was a good thing.  

 

Mae shows her empty box to Sam with a triumphant nod before she points at Dean.

 

Sam chuckles as he takes the empty container from Mae. “Mae wants you to know she finished the salad.” 

 

Lilly facepalms. “Don’t encourage it, Harps.” She sighs sounding so forlorn it was comical.  

 

Mae chuckles as she leans forward to pat Lilly's shoulder.

 

“ _ And _ , pitty pat status.” Lilly sighs with a shake of her head. 

 

Mae tilts her head to the side before she reaches for the paper and pencil in the door pocket.

 

_ Where is Cass? _

 

Sam looks the note over as Mae hands it to him and frowns. “Where is Cass?” He reads out loud.

 

Lilly looks to Dean, waiting for a moment before she let’s out a sigh. 

 

“He went full team free will. Got Dean and I from dickless, and then dropped us off at Chuck’s to go face to face with an arch angel. I’m sure he’s just recovering.” She shrugs.

 

Mae's eyes widen.

 

_ Zachariah? _

 

“Yeah, he took them after… He took them.” Sam informs her scratching the back of his head.

 

Mae frowns at Sam before she lays her hand on his arm.

 

“Smooth.” Dean comments with an eyeroll.

 

“I didn’t see you jumping in.” Lilly remarks with a roll of her eyes.

 

_ What did he do to them? _

 

Sam opens his mouth before he closes it and looks to Dean and Lilly. “What did Zachariah end up doing with the both of you?” He asks.

 

Lilly just looks at Dean expectantly.

 

Dean lets out a sigh. “Nothing to me, though he apparently knocked Lilly out. Cass got us out before things got too hairy though, told us about heaven and hell working together and how we had to-”

 

“Rescue you.” Lilly supplies quickly at Dean’s pause. “Which we did. Go us.”

 

Mae tilts her head to the side and lets out a soft sigh.

 

_ Lilith told me she was the final seal. _

 

Sam sighs. “Lilith told her already.” 

 

“Heard.” Lilly nods. “Well we failed that, so goodbye Lilith, hello Satan.” She claps her hands as she let’s out a deep breath. “And I think we can all agree in this particular case that the devil we knew certainly wasn’t better than the one we don’t. So… Yeah.”

 

Mae shivers and instantly pulls her legs up to her chest to hide her face.

 

Sam sends a nasty glare at Lilly as he gathers Mae closer to him.

 

“Right.” Lilly sighs as she leans forward and starts messing with the old dials on the radio, looking for any station to drown the tension she had inadvertently caused.

 

Mae presses her ear against Sam’s chest and breathes in his scent as she tries to get her heart beat to match his calmer pace. She was going to have to tell them about Lilith, about the strange things the demon had said to her. She should tell them now, they definitely needed to know. She even thought she might feel better once they knew, but the thought of speaking about it made the lump come back again. She absently raises a hand to clutch at her throat.

 

Sam looks down at Mae in concern. “Is your throat okay baby?”

 

Dean looks back in the mirror, one eyebrow raised even as he reaches for a water bottle and holds it up for Sam to give to Mae.

 

Sam instantly takes the bottle and hands it to Mae. “Here.” He offers with a frown.

 

Mae takes the water bottle and takes a sip.

 

Lilly gives up on finding a station and flips the radio off. She turns to look at Mae and Sam, watching Mae drink the water with a slight frown. 

 

“Better?” Sam asks as Mae hands the capped water bottle back.

 

“She can’t talk right now. Not sure why.” Lilly supplies as she turns back around and leans against her seat.

 

Sam and Dean both look at Lilly.

 

“Right. Well, I mean, there are plenty of reasons why she wouldn’t want to talk, but there’s not something medically wrong with her if that’s what ya’ll are worried about.” Lilly corrects quickly at the brother’s blank stares. 

 

Sam rubs his thumb along the inside of Mae’s wrists. “Baby, it’s alright.” He assures her as he pulls her to him closer. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.” He adds softly as he rubs small circles into her back.

 

Mae just settles back against his chest and listens to his heartbeat, letting it calm her. Lilly was right, she’d get it figured out. They all would. All she cared about right now was the steady beat under her ear and Sam’s familiar scent.

 

Lilly ignores the look she could feel Dean was burning into the side of her face as she picks her book back up and curls against the door to stare at the open pages. Her eyes scan the old language several times without any true comprehension or retention.

 

Sam’s shocked when he looks back down to Mae and notices her asleep against him. “Hey uh Lilly?”

 

Lilly takes a deep breath. “Yes, Sam?” She blows out her hair.

 

“Should she still be tired?” Sam asks, worry very evident in his tone.

 

“Yes. It’s not physical exhaustion.” Lilly informs him as she plays with the page in the book on her lap. “She’s still processing, it’ll come to a head soon. She’s never been much of a stewer.”

 

Sam nods before he slowly readjusts Mae so she’s more comfortable. He watches her, noting how much more peaceful she looked asleep than she did awake. He tenderly pushes a few stray strands from her face, lightly tracing a single finger across her jawline.

 

Lilly closes her book as she leans forward once more to start playing with the dials. She didn’t want any talks to wake up Mae. She lets out a resigned sigh when the only working station she can find seems to be old country. At least it was acoustic, and if you ignored the depressing lyrics it was kind of soothing. 

 

Dean watches Lilly mess with the dials before he glances back at Mae and Sam in the backseat. He shakes his head. Something was very wrong, and no shit, cause Mae was with Lilith; nothing about that situation was right. Still, he definitely got the feeling Lilly knew more than she was sharing. “So, you know the rules Lilly, driver picks the music, shot-”

 

“Do you enjoy blowjobs?” Lilly cuts him off, not in the mood.

 

“I do in fact, you should let me finish Lilly.” He teases, chuckling softly at Sam’s look of discomfort.

 

“Proceed carefully, I like biting...” She warns him with a glare.

 

“Right. I was going to say I would like to choose the song you sing about what’s going on with Mae. I mean, I was going to ask in a much more fun and creative way, but yeah, way to ruin it.”

 

“You would have been better with your catchphrase.” Lilly remarks with a roll of her eyes before she leans her elbow against the glass and rests her head in her palm.

 

“Is she ok?” Dean asks. Unable to stand not knowing what was causing her so much pain, and not being able to do anything about it.

 

“I’m sure she’ll be alright eventually... ” Lilly admits after a few minutes with a frown, her brows furrow together as she blows her hair out of her face before she pulls her phone out.

 

“Does she want to tell me?” Sam asks quietly.

 

“It’s Mae. I’m sure it will eventually come out.” Lilly sighs. “Though it, might take time… It’s not like she’s said a word to me about it...”

 

Dean lifts an eyebrow. “She really didn’t talk to you at the dinner?”

 

“She talked to me, just not about this.” Lilly corrects with a dismissive shrug. “And she only said two words; neither of which were relevant to this conversation.”

 

Sam lets out a sigh, but decides to not press it. He knew it wouldn’t do any good anyways. What he really wanted was to hear Mae’s voice, to understand what happened to her. He had just been so happy to have her back that for awhile that had been enough. Not that it wasn’t now, he just wanted to know how to help her. He felt useless and like a failure. It hurt that she wouldn’t talk to him, but she’d talked to Lilly. Even if it was only two words, it was more than he’d gotten.

 

Dean lets out a frustrated sigh. “Dammit, I just want to know how to help.” He admits as he slams his palm against the steering wheel.

 

“Yeah, well I’m sure that makes all of us.” Lilly sighs, running a hand through her hair as she watches Dean. “Though I’ll admit, I’m not sure scaring her awake is the way to get that information…But I haven’t tried that tactic yet? Shall we continue and see where it gets us?”

 

“Sorry. Geez, no need to be snappy. I’m just worried, and I definitely feel like you know something, or figured something out with your Lilly-ness.”

 

Lilly licks her lips and shifts slightly. “No, just pure speculation at this point.” She breaths out as she runs her hand through her hair again. She really couldn’t blame Mae, both Winchester’s were highly reactive and incredibly intimidating when they chose to be. She felt guilty, but this wasn’t really her experience to share, and she wasn’t sure Mae would appreciate everyone in the car being up to date without her consent. 

 

“And I’m guessing it’s not speculation you want to share, judging by the sound of it.” Dean continues

 

“It hasn’t been confirmed.” Lilly shrugs dismissively. “At this point and time it would just be gossip. I’d hate to break that tenet.” 

“Will you tell me if you figure out a way I can help her?” Sam asks softly.

 

“Support her. Take her concerns seriously. Take good inventory of her reactions and respond accordingly...You know, so everything you’ve been doing. At least that’s what Maat suggested I do, when I asked for guidance.” Lilly offers Sam with a shrug. 

 

“Alright.” Sam nods slowly before he readjusts nervously. “Thanks Lilly.”

 

“No problem.” Lilly sighs, contemplating what more she could say remembering Maat’s largest concern. “Just, you know, don’t let her feel like she isn’t important. She’s a proverbial sugar glider… Any form of rejection or isolation and she’ll surely lose another piece of herself. There isn’t a quick fix to this, at least not any we should be willing to jump on. We’re just going to have to be patient, and wait it out til she feels like she can talk to us…” She adds almost bitterly. She had failed Mae in the worst way she could have, she’d instated an unreachable bar in their current situation and she wasn’t sure how to even begin to unravel the damage. When she spewed that shit in Mae’s ear it was well before she knew demons and vampires and fucking angels and damned ghosts existed. She sighs, resisting the urge to let her head hit the window. She fucking hated the taste of crow. It was always crow, or her damned foot. No wonder she never had a damned appetite. She smacks her forehead at the thought and groans. 

 

Dean lifts an eyebrow at her tone and actions, but wisely refrains from follow up questions.

 

Sam nods in understanding before he looks back down to Mae. It wouldn’t be long and they would be at Chuck’s house and hopefully learn where Castiel had gone. In the meantime, he was content to run his fingers slowly through her hair and just enjoy her warm presence.

 

9     

 

“So, we know I’m cleaning right? Like, I can not go back into that house without helping that poor, disgusting man out. I.  _ Can’t _ . Not. Help.” Lilly states as they pull up in front of the author's house, her eyes looking over the residence wearily. There was something in her that she couldn’t even shut down when Mae’s life was on the line, there would be no stopping it this time. She needed them to fully understand where she was coming from, even if she didn’t understand the why of it herself. She was going to invade the man’s privacy. She wouldn’t be able to stop herself this time.

 

Mae smiles at her, patting her gently on the shoulder. Her eyes drop back to the ground, not sure if she wanted to face Chuck after what happened; she was afraid of what he might tell the guys.

 

Sam leans forward, gently rubbing her side before he pulls her back to his chest. “Are you coming in?” He asks, tilting her head up to look at him.

 

“Lilly, if you can’t stop from touching the man’s shit, stay in the car.” Dean snaps as he opens the door and slides out, slamming it behind him. She knew more than she was saying and it was bothering the shit out of him. This involved their fucking family, and she was playing fucking games.

 

Lilly shrugs and leans against the seat, dismissing the hurt Dean’s words spurred. She couldn’t blame him. She had known when she chose this path it was going to be vastly unpleasant. She still hadn’t had a chance to speak with Mae about it, and she wasn’t about to just present her sister’s current situation, for the whole family to pick over, when she had obviously not processed it herself.

 

Mae’s eyes slide over to Lilly, who was pouting in the front seat before she shakes her head.

 

“You should go in Mae, you know? Just, it might be a good idea. He seems... Easily intimidated and excitable.” Lilly comments quietly, urging Mae to go in. She watches her in the rearview mirror, unknowingly sharing her sister’s concern. If Mae didn’t go in, it was going to be shared with the brothers.

 

Mae tilts her head to the side, her eyes wide and dark in her still pale face.

 

Lilly picks arm up and waves dismissively. “Your choice.” She sighs. “I can’t make it for you.”

 

Mae looks down for a moment before she turns back to Sam with a small smile, nodding as she pulls the door handle to slide out of the car. She leans back in for a second, patting Lilly once again on her shoulder.

 

“Love you too Harps.” Lilly comments before the door closes. She watches as the three of them make their way up the stairs.

 

Sam and Dean both discreetly pull out their pistols. Dean takes a moment to lean close to Mae. “Look, I’m worried about you, but I get you don’t want to talk to us about, stuff, but I need to know. Did you talk to Lilly about it?”

 

Mae furrows her brow, tilting her head to the side. 

 

Dean takes a deep breath. “Did you tell Lilly what happened?”

 

Mae shakes her head.

 

Dean clicks his tongue. “Does Lilly know what happened?”

 

Mae stops to think about it for a moment. She actually didn’t know what Lilly knew, just that Lilly knew more than the rest of her family because of the very one sided conversation she'd had with Maat. Mae takes a deep breath and brings her hand up to tilt it from side to side.

 

“Kinda?” Dean clarifies as he watches Mae.

 

Mae shrugs and repeats the gesture. 

 

Dean frowns, fucking Lilly and her kindas and her speculations.  The last time she speculated something, it turned out that the angels were actually working with the damned demons, and it was fucking Zachariah. Fuckin’ hiding behind her damned tenets, like she ever followed any of them unless it suited her. They were going to be talking about these damned kinda speculations. He wipes his free hand over his face. He shakes his head as he slips back into position with Sam, catching Mae crossing her arms and glaring at him from the corner of his eyes.

 

“Nuh-uh. Don’t judge me, she’s the one who's  _ kinda  _ lying about shit. Fuckin’ hidin’ behind her religion like a skirt.” Dean defends himself as he knocks on the door. Roughly. Content with his decision to leave Lilly in the car.

 

Mae shakes her head, impatient for them to get on with the B&E so they could figure out what happened to Cass and Chuck. 

 

The three of them stop short, noting the door that had been torn from it’s hinges and merely put back in place. “Chuck?” Sam calls out as he enters the house cautiously. He takes a step into the house and looks around carefully, gun drawn as he begins to clear the room.

 

Mae sticks close to Sam, one finger hooked into his belt loop so he knew where she was.

 

Dean stays on rear guard, the two men splitting off from one another as Sam and Mae veered left while Dean heads right. 

 

“Chuck? You here man?” Dean calls out, noting the house looked more trashed than normal. He winces when he notices the blood and chunks of flesh painting the walls, suddenly wishing he’d kept Mae in the car with Lilly.

 

Mae looks down in the kitchen, noticing the little pools of dried blood. Her breath catches in her throat. 

 

“Dean? Sam?” Chuck calls out, stumbling down the stairs still covered in blood splatter. Obviously more than a little inebriated. “Mae, fuck… shit.” He mutters before turning around and grabbing at his hair.

 

Mae’s eyes grow wide for a moment before she lets her gaze fall to the floor again. She slowly pulls her finger from Sam’s belt and silently backs away from the three men, mentally praying for Castiel.

 

“How the hell did you guys even make it out of there? Last time I saw you Sam you went total darkside. All vader like, your tempature was like hundred and fifty degrees and your heart rate peaked at two hundred not to mention your eyes flashing black, like a demon’s.“ Chuck comments nervously, refusing to look in Mae’s direction.

 

Mae shudders at the memory, still trying to back out of the room. She could see her presence was making the prophet uncomfortable. At this point she really didn't care if he told the guys everything; she just wanted out. 

 

“Your eyes went black, fucking seriously?” Dean remarks wiping his hand down his face in disbelief.

“I didn’t know Dean. What was I supposed to do, I thought Lilith was going to kill Mae. Like sacrificial blade above her heart.” Sam pleads softly, turning to discover that Mae was backing out of the room. 

 

“Nah, man, I get it. I do, Christ. Just… Fuck, I get it.” Dean says rubbing the back of his neck, not sure the lengths he would go to save Lilly if she were in a similar situation, not completely taking Sam’s decision out of the realm of possibilities.

 

“Where’s Lilly? Did she make it too? Did Bobby?” Chuck asks the three of them evident concern on his features.

 

“Yeah, we all made it Chuck. We ended up on a plane. Wait, haven't you seen it?” Sam asks, turning back to Chuck after taking Mae’s hand.

 

“Ooh, with Lilly’s claustrophobia and Dean’s fear of heights?” Chuck nervously stammers, his face screwed up in saddened disgust. He almost felt sorry for the people on the plane with the two of them. “No, last vision I got was of you killing Lilith.” Chuck admits.

 

“Have you seen Cass?” Dean asks as he looks around the room. “It looks like you lived through a warzone.”

 

Mae comes up to stand behind Sam, peaking around him to watch Chuck, her fears growing each time she prayed and Castiel didn’t answer.

 

“See the exploded can of chunky soup decorating my walls?” Chuck asks slowly turning around with his arms spread out. “It’s Cass soup.”

 

Mae covers her lower face with a one hand as she wraps the other arm around her waist; she stares in silent horror at the man’s description before tears flow down her face again.

 

“Sorry Mae… It was not pleasant to watch. Castiel was a good Angel.” Chuck frowns as he looks at the other two men. Still not able to look at her directly.

 

“Right, well, oh. Chuck you have some….” Sam points to the side of his head as he pulls Mae closer to him, with hand over her ear, pressing her other ear to his heart beat. “‘Cass’ in your hair.”

 

“Oh, oh no. Oh shit.” Chuck says, pulling  something hard from his hair. He brings it in front of his face, staring at a tooth.The three men staring in disgust at the bloody molar as Chuck dropped, as if it had burned him. “Oh, oh fuck, is that a-”

 

“Yes.” Dean cuts off quickly stepping on the dropped tooth with a flinch. He was officially thrilled with his decision to keep Lilly in the car, and really regretting Mae being here with them.

 

Mae wraps her arms around Sam, her sobs becoming deeper. Castiel had been her friend, and now he was gone.

 

“Shit… They’re coming.” Chuck comments as he looks up at the ceiling.

 

10 

“This sucks so much donkey dick.” Lilly mumbles to herself. She watches with disinterest as the three of them stop to talk before she slides into the back seat, slipping into the position she was most comfortable meditating in. She wasn’t sure what to do, but she certainly wasn’t questioning her decision to hold back from telling Sam and Dean everything. She wasn’t sure if Mae was ready yet. Dean could bark and snap all he wanted, but until she knew more of what happened to Mae, or Mae started to talk about it, she was going to keep mum on the subject. It was that simple. She closes her eyes and works on calming herself, as she slowly drifts into a trance before she’s jarred out of it.

 

Lilly blanks as she feels the presence of several angels, but it’s dickless’s specific signature that really sets her on edge. He was surely displeased with Castiel for swooping in and freeing Dean and herself. She takes a deep breath before she leans forward to grab the dagger Dean had hidden in the center console earlier. Hunter’s paranoia wasn’t always a bad thing. She sighs ruefully as she slides out of the car. She carefully makes her way behind the half dead plants til she reaches the side of Chuck’s house.

 

With no thought Lilly presses the blade to her forearm and begins smearing her blood on the peeling panels to create the ward; hoping she was completely out of any nosy neighbors view. When the ward is completed she flexes her fist, pumping fresh blood to the cut to ensure her fingers were completely coated before she brings her hand down to the center of the ward. She watches as the sigil burns a bright white before dimming back to red. She sighs in relief when she feels the angels’ presence disappear.

 

Lilly looks up at the spent blood sigil now decorating the side of the published prophet's house. If she were being honest it really wasn’t taking away from the hovel. She shakes her head before looking around for a hose. Even if that was the case she couldn’t just leave her blood on the side of his house. She sighs when the only hose she can find is his neighbor's before she turns it on and pulls it over. She sighs again, apparently her neurosis over the prophet’s house extended to the exterior as well. She bites her lip as she pulls the trigger to the gun and begins washing the blood off the side of the house, clicking the gun over to ‘jet’ so she could do away with the smudges of dirt and old wasps nests while she was there. She absently begins humming to herself as she wished the water would work quicker against the built up grime. She was so caught up in her work she completely missed her family bolting from the house as they ran for the car.

 

11

 

“Lilly’s gone.” Sam notices as he opens the backdoor.

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Dean curses as he looks around the the neighborhood with frustration. Had she just walked off or had the angel’s taken her again? He was going to strangle her. 

 

Mae looks around and turns to run in a direction before Sam’s hand clamps around her upper arm. “No Mae, get in the car and shut the door.” He tells her sternly as he guides her back to the open door and helps her in before shutting it.

 

“I’m gonna go make a round, you get another ward up and be ready to go.” Dean snarls at Sam.

 

Mae looks out the back window in time to see Lilly walking away from the side of Chuck’s house to the side of his neighbors. She tilts her head to the side when she notices how heavy her clothes looked and how she had water dripping from her arms. Why she was drenched becomes clearer as she watches Lilly wrap a hose around a hook near the faucet she was messing with. She turns back to the guys and bangs on the window.

 

Sam turns to look at the window with a look of concern as Dean starts to storm off.

 

Mae points back to Lilly before she bangs on the window again, trying to get Dean’s attention.

 

Sam turns and looks over his shoulder towards where Mae was pointing. “Fuck, Dean she’s overt- LILLY!” He snaps harshly towards Lilly.   


Dean turns on his heel, his eyes darting from Sam to where Sam was looking. “Dammit Lilly!” He snaps as he stomps towards her.

 

Lilly looks up at the guys and then turns back to the remaining un hung hose, and grips it tightly as she fights with herself before she just drops the hose with a sigh and goes to greet them. “We done here? That was quick.”

 

Dean glares at her as he grabs the back of her neck, his hands shaking but the grip surprisingly gentle as he leads her back to the car. “Where the hell were you. I thought fucking Angels had taken you again. And the dickbags-”

 

“Cleaning the house. I was cleaning the house. I felt them coming, didn’t want to leave blood on the panels. I’m back and I’m okay.”

 

“You did a ward too?” Sam asks as he slides into the back seat with Mae.

 

“Yeah.” Lilly comments as she slides into the car and puts on her seatbelt, before she folds her hands and puts them on her lap. Dean looked pissed, and Sam had never used that tone on her before. _ Whoops. _

 

Dean shakes his head, his lips tight as he slams his door and starts up the car. “Hopefully twice the ward means we have longer before they get back, but I’m not gonna hold my breath on that one.”

 

“Did we find out anything on Cass?” Lilly asks after they get out of the neighborhood.

 

Sam pulls Mae closer to his side and wraps his arm around her. “He’s… Gone.”

 

Lilly raises her eyebrow and then looked up at Mae in the rearview mirror. “You have any nightmares ‘bout that?”

 

Mae slowly shakes her head no.

 

“Cass is...oh... “ Lilly says with a frown, never having thought what happens to Angels when they die.  _ Do they respawn or something? Or maybe they get reincarnated… Anna got reincarnated...But that was because she ripped her grace out… _ ”Archangel?” She asks after a moment, regretting leaving Cass alone to face, that. Not that she would’ve been useful, just dying alone, in a fight that size, had to be in Cass’ words...Unpleasant.

 

Mae nods, recalling Chucks ‘Raphael smote the crap out of him’ comment.

 

“I’m sorry Tex, Harpy.” She says after another moment hugging Dean, knowing how close the Angel and him were. Not really sure how she felt about it; the information was not sitting right with her. It seemed wrong.

 

Dean shakes his head and clears his suddenly tight throat. “He was more than a simple soldier in the end. You know what, not the worst way to go.”

 

“Yeah, nothing like being killed by your family.” Lilly remarks darkly. “That’s alright, he was more like us in the end  anyways… Consider him adopted.”

 

Mae turns and looks up at Sam, her eyes a sea of pain and fear.  

 

“It’s ok. I’m sorry about Cass baby. Come here.” He wraps her in his arms, holding her tight to his chest, letting her just be broken while she worked through what she needed to, happy to just hold her and let her cry.

 

Mae tightens her grip around Sam’s neck and buries her head against his chest. She couldn’t deal with this right now; didn’t even know how to start. She agreed with Lilly, Castiel had been like family; and now he was gone.

 

Dean watches the two in the rearview mirror for a moment before he turns back to watch the road. “What took you so long with the sigil?” He asks quietly, wanting to change the subject again.

 

“I had to clean it up Dean, I’m not just going to leave a bloody hand print, and occult markings for his neighbors to see. I’m not that rude…”

 

“How did you know they were there?”

 

“They...hmm, their energy? I guess would be the best way to put it.” Lilly shrugs. “And they all have a unique, dunno, so I’ve been referring to it as a signature. I felt dickless the second the signature’s flaired. The other’s were all unfamiliar.”

 

“Huh. So you feel them coming. And you heard Lucifer. Like his voice.” Dean asks, recalling their conversation. It made him uneasy that both of them could hear angels.

 

“Correct.” Lilly comments with a nod. “So I jumped out, and thought it would be best to banish them before they could pull something on ya’ll.” Lilly pauses as she turns to look at Dean. “You weren’t expecting me to just sit in the car were you?”

 

“Yeah, I was expecting you to stay in the car. You know, where all the angel wards are that protect you from being taken are at…”

 

“What if ya’ll had been taken.” Lilly scoffs as she pulls her fingers through her hair. “I ain’t playing that fucking game with your fuckin’ lives..”

 

Dean grips the steering wheel, rolling the cheap cover under his fingers as he sighs. “I get that Lilly, and I know you’re hidden. I know. Just, it wasn’t fun getting back to the car to find you gone. Like heart attack level.”

 

Lilly takes a deep breath and let’s it out. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that. I’ll be more considerate in the future. However if I feel dickless and the douche patrol rolling out, you can bet your sweet ass that I’ll be leaving the car to go throw up one of them ward and help. Maybe not take the time to wash it off next time, but-” She shrugs. “No promises.”

 

Dean reaches over to take Lilly’s hand. “I’m just saying, I got worried. I need you, and the thought they had you again…”

 

“But they don’t. Let’s just go get baby and I guess get this-” Lilly blows out a breath. “Which is... What are we doing with you two once we collect baby?” She asks as she looks up at Dean.

 

Dean tilts his head to the side as his eyes sweep up to look share a glance with Sam in the rearview mirror. 

 

Lilly clicks her tongue and pats Dean’s hand. “Or we could cross that bridge when we get to it, but maybe we should start thinking about it.”

 

“Bobby said he was heading back to collect books and… stuff. I think we need to find a place to hole up, get some major protection or blocking going on ourselves and really start looking into what is happening.” Sam offers, thinking through their options carefully. “We need to know what we’re up against, I mean… Is this really all that different from any other case?”

 

“Larger maybe.” Dean shrugs.

 

“Right, well if ya’ll are going to be viewing it as a case, what would you like Mae and I to work on?” Lilly asks, turning to look to Mae for support, only to let out a resigned sigh when she see’s that her sister is fast asleep.

 

“We’re all going to end up hitting the books when Bobby gets back into contact with us.” Dean assures her quickly. “After that, honestly, I think you’re the one that mentioned bridges and crossing them when we get there.” 

 

“As long as some thought goes into it before we arrive at said bridge.” Lilly corrects with a tight smile.

 

“Can do. Look at me multitasking’ over here. Driving and thinking.”

 

“Don’t hurt yerself.” Lilly comments with an eyeroll. “I’d just like it to be known that I’m not Mae.”

 

“What’s that suppose to mean?” Sam asks with a head tilt.

 

“I don’t have real hunter training, just the defense stuff, and I don’t even know where to find the line to fall into assuming I’d have any interest in that…” 

 

Dean raises an eyebrow at her. “Again with the what’s that suppose to mean?”

 

“It’s just something else to take into consideration on the way to the bridge.” Lilly sighs as she runs her hand through her hair. If they were just going to research she could do so from Mystic. They had warded it to high hell against both angels and demons.

 

“I think she’s saying she’s not sure she can follow your lead like Mae does.” Sam offers with a frown. 

 

“Like I hadn’t noticed that already.” Dean rolls his eyes.

 

Lilly shrugs. “Didn’t think ya were blind Tex, jus’ sayin’ ta keep it in consideration.”

 

“Right. Got it simmering on the back burner. Promise.”

 

“Thank you.” Lilly sighs before she turns to look at Mae curled up on Sam’s chest. “How was the prophet… He shed any light on well, anything?”

 

“Well. Other than describing Sam while he was full dark side, no. He didn’t have anything for us.” Dean looks back over his shoulder at Sam and Mae before he turns back to the road. “Seemed real skittish around Mae though. That was something.”

 

“Yeah.” Sam looks down at Mae before he looks back to Lilly. “She backed away from him, and he wouldn’t even look at her.”

 

“Weird.” Lilly comments as she drops her eyes to look at Mae. She still wasn’t talking, and she was spending more time sleeping than anything else. It was beginning to worry her, and she wasn’t sure all the moving was helping. She wasn’t even sure if her being around was helpful. 

 

“Lilly… Do you actually know what happened? Chuck, Chuck got real pale. And she ain’t talking. We can’t, figure anything out if she won’t talk to us. And sorry but, you seem to know something.”

 

“Nothin’ but speculations...” Lilly sighs with a slight shrug.

 

“Did Maat confirm any of your speculations?” Sam asks, suddenly piecing together that Maat had been in the room and was a mind reader.

 

“Not with any detail, no.” Lilly comments as she scratches the back of her head.

 

“Lilly.” Dean sighs in frustration. “How the hell are we supposed to help or protect her if she won’t talk to us.”

 

“Well she’s not talking to me either Dean.” Lilly shrugs.

 

“You said she did talk to you.” Sam reminds her.

 

Lilly rolls her eyes. “Not about the shit you two are referring too.”

 

“But you do have an idea of what happened.”

 

“To be fair, I would think we all have a pretty solid idea of what happened.” Lilly comments darkly as she turns to look back at Mae with a frown. 

 

Sam looks down at Mae as he recalls Lilith's final words. “Fuck.”

 

“Fuck, what?” Dean asks as he looks in the rearview mirror his eyes . “Torture, I’m assuming’ torture happened.”

 

“I’m not playing this game.” Lilly sighs as she turns back around to plop in her seat.

 

Sam sighs as he looks down at Mae, taking in her pale features with concern. She hadn’t spoken to him since he’d rescued her. He’d tried but every time they went to talk she held her throat, and looked to him with such sadness in her eyes that it broke his heart. He’d never expected that damned psychopathic bitch to touch Mae in such a way. It made his stomach turn. He should have known better. He swallows as he holds Mae closer, more protectively. Lilith had fucking raped Mae. He takes a deep breath as his eyes sweep over her; his heart ached. What the fuck had that bitch done to her? What the fuck happened to his girlfriend? What had she been forced to endure. This woman meant the fucking world to him, like if Dean wouldn’t kill him for admitting it out loud, it wouldn’t have mattered that Lilith was the final seal, world to him. He wasn’t sure what he would do without her.  The only thing he regretted was not drawing out Lilith's death longer.

 

“We just want to help. And aren’t you always tellin’ me to get shit off my chest? We don’t even know what she was told, what she heard. “ Dean continues.

“I do not feel like that’s any of my business to tell you.” Lilly comments as she crosses her arms. 

 

“But you do know.”

 

“No I don’t.” Lilly comments with a click of her tongue. 

 

“You are so defensive, you fuckin’ know something.”

 

“I know that your driving angry and that never leads to good results.” Lilly comments with an eye roll. 

 

“I’m not angry. I’m worried. Mae is… She’s just Mae. And I need her to be Mae.” Dean admits with a sigh.

 

“I’m sure that makes three of us. We all rely on Mae for her Mae-ness, but nonetheless she hasn’t talked to me about it, and I doubt she’s ready for a fifth degree.”

 

“You mean third degree.”

 

“No, I mean fifth, it’s the Winchester version, it burns more, very corrosive, very pushy and loud and not conducive-”

 

“Dammit Lilly.” Dean snaps.

 

Lilly folds her arms in front of her chest as she lifts an eyebrow. “See, loud.”

 

“I’m just tired of getting the run around with you. We’re her family. Why can’t we try to help?”

 

Lilly rolls her eyes. “What if it’s something you can’t help with?”

 

“No such thing. Everything can be helped somehow.” Dean shakes his head.

 

“Heard.” Lilly nods as she leans back in the chair and starts beating out a rhythm on the door.

 

Dean turns to glare at Lilly, but before he can reprimand her Sam interrupts.

 

“Dean just, leave her alone. She’s right-”

 

“No.” Dean shakes his head. “No. I don’t like this. When’d you switch sides?”

 

Sam let’s out a deep sigh,

 

Lilly looks in the rearview mirror and looks at the lost look on Sam’s face, his eyes slightly glassier than normal, his jaw tensed with anger. “Ah.” She nods. What had she said? Damn it. 

 

“I remember what Lilith said.” Sam admits thickly.

 

“What did Lilith say?” Dean asks as he glares at Sam in the rear view mirror.

 

“It’s not important right now, just drop it Dean.” Sam sighs as he meets his brother’s gaze in the mirror.

 

Lilly sighs, why did Sam have to side with her the one fucking time it would only make shit worse?  _ Why? _ This was starting to look so fucking shady, he was going to end up eventually stumbling into it or turn his sights on fucking Mae. She rubbed at her temple. This was going to end up turning really ugly, quick. She grimaces as she thinks back to the month long fight between the brothers. That wasn’t going to be conducive to Mae’s healing process if they were stuck in same damn shit hotel room. And now Dean was the odd man out, besides Bobby. If he spent any length of time with her he was going to figure it out too. “Alright Dean… let’s just say that even knowing that Lilith was the last seal and her blood would jump start Armageddon, I would kill her, every single time, without a second thought. Smile on my face, blood on my hands.”

 

Dean turns and stares at Lilly blankly, “That could literally be anything. Was it a glare? Because I’m pretty sure to you, someone glaring at Mae would be a killable offense...”

 

“Regina’s still alive.” Lilly scoffs. 

 

Dean leans his head back against the unfamiliar head rest. “I’m guessing she did more than torture her, but I’m having a hard time thinking about it because it’s Mae.”

 

“Pretend it’s not Mae.” Lilly sighs as she rubs her temples.

 

Dean tilts his head to the side in contemplation. “Why did Lilith do anything to her? She just had to get Sam to think she was going to kill her, boom, apocalypse.”

 

“Because she’s a batshit insane twisted demoness Dean...” Lilly sighs as she shoots a look to Sam who has his eyes closed in frustration as he held Mae closer to him protectively. “I feel like you’re not getting this because you’re sexist.” She mutters under her breath. 

 

“What? I’m not- What does that have to do with anything.”

 

“Enough.” Lilly breathes out.

 

“Dammit Dean. Lilith tortured and raped Mae.” Sam barely breaths, not wanting to wake Mae. 

 

Lilly immediately lunges for the wheel as Dean slams on the brakes. She guides the slowing car to the side of the road as Dean turns and barks a low “What?”

 

Mae jumps in her sleep, her face darkening as she readjusts to settle her ear over Sam’s heart.

 

“Alright… Get out Tex, I’m driving.” Lilly demands calmly. “Empath on board. Take a walk.” She growls her body awkwardly stretched across the cab of the car, not even sure how she ended up on her knees. Her knuckles white from how hard she had gripped the steering wheel.

 

“No, I’m good. It was a shock.” Dean lets out a slow breath as he runs his hands over his face, his nails dragging against his skin leaving long red marks as if he was trying to rip an image from his mind. “I didn’t think it was anything like that. Shit. I’m sorry.” He slowly looks back up, his gaze meeting Lilly’s for a brief moment before he shakes his head. “Get back in your seat, I found a two hour path that will lead us to where Sam abandoned Baby. We’ll dump this car and find a hotel after that. So at most, six hours. We good?”

 

Lilly stares at Dean blankly before turning to Sam. “Sam, tell your brother he’s unfit to drive. I don’t want any of us dying and Mae to wake up screaming. He doesn’t trust my judgement.”

 

“Dean, come on, show her the path and let her drive. You two can keep each other awake.” Sam says reasonably, trying to stifle a yawn. He’d been so worried about Mae that he wasn’t sleeping well. Now that he knew some of what was going on with her he felt more prepared. It didn’t fix it or make it alright by any means, but now her actions made more sense. 

 

“Dean. Osiris, babe, listen to Sammy, I’m a professional driver. I have a license and everything. Please, trust me.” Lilly pleads with him, not letting go of the steering wheel. She was not comfortable with her dense, hot head of a  _ consort _ behind the wheel with the littles in the back seat; one of them unbuckled.

 

Dean looks in Lilly’s wide, worried amber eyes before he slams into park, grumbling as he gets out of the driver's seat and walks over to the passenger side door. He opens the door for Lilly, but after a moment notices she is no longer on the passenger side. He rolls his eyes as he gets into the car, shutting the door softly behind him. 

 

Lilly finishes adjusting her seat and the mirrors. “Right, buckle up cowboy.” Lilly looks to Dean sternly. As soon as his belt is clicked she get back onto the road, unwittingly working the car well past ninety miles per hour. She sighs; speed had always been a welcome friend when she just didn't want to think about something.

 


	6. Chapter 4

12 

Dean pulls a face as he looks over to his girlfriend, concerned that she drove anywhere, in anything, ever. The motorcycle had been bad enough, but the car. He hadn’t been expecting her to treat the car so poorly; she was never driving Baby again. He wasn’t sure about letting her operate a vehicle period. Did she even remember that Mae and Sam were still in the back seat? 

 

“Ok, it’s down the dirt road up here.” Dean points out, hoping to get Lilly to slow down. 

 

“Awesome, the best thing about this? The fact that this car isn’t ours.” Lilly grins mischievously at him before turning down the road, only dropping her speed by thirty. She loved being in control of the wheel, it made her miss her bike.

 

“Will you please remember that our kid siblings are in the back.” Dean grunts, taking the bumpy road at sixty was making his teeth chatter.

 

“What you talkin’ about? Mae sleeps like a child when I drive. You’re such a baby, I’m a wonderful driver.”  Lilly comments dismissively with a pout on her lips.

 

“Oh thank the Gods there’s my Impala.” Dean shakes his head. “I am so sorry I left you Baby.”

 

“Where?” Lilly teases him, as she leans up to get a better look over the steering wheel not easing up on the gas. She weighs the pros and cons of her next actions before she shrugs,  _ fuck it _ . She giggles to herself as she hits the accelerator, focusing solely on the task in front of her.  __

 

“What are you doing? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?  **WHAT ARE YOU DOING?** ” Dean yells, his voice raising from a whisper to an all out yell.

 

“Sssh. Calm down.” Lilly coaxes with a shit eating grin. “Our kid siblings are asleep.” She continues, teasing him as she turns wheel sharply and parks right next to baby. The space between the stolen vehicle and the Impala was just wide enough for one set of doors to be open at a time. She can’t help the laughter that pours from her lips as she looks at Dean’s horrified face. Tears begin to stream freely and she grabs her stomach, wishing she had a camera on her for this mastercard level of priceless. Did demons own stock in master card? For everything money can’t buy, demon deals… She laughs harder.

 

Mae sits up and looks around, stunned awake by Dean’s yelling and Lilly’s laughter.

 

Sam sits up straighter as well, adjusting Mae so she was sitting fully in his lap again. “I’m up! Where’s here?” He blinks, looking around.

 

“Oh, so very worth it.” Lilly chuckles as she opens the driver's side door before stepping out; leaving an angry Dean to his brother as she leans against the stolen vehicle with pain in her side, but feeling better than she had in days. She wipes wayward tears from her face as she continues to chuckle.

 

Dean exits the stolen car, radiating anger. He pulls the impala keys out and tosses them in the back with Sam before he stomps over to Lilly. His hand snakes out, grasping her forearm firmly before  he drags her towards the safe house Baby had been parked in front of. He hits the door open with a flat palm, seething as he shoves her into the front room. His eye twitch as he glares at what; what was wrong with her? 

 

“What’s wrong? I thought we were like on a-” Lilly pauses to catch her breath her stomach still cramping from her laughter. “Serves you, oh gods, I’m dying, serves you right, for bein’ such  a judgmental back seat driver.” 

 

“Really? This is what you choose to do with your life? Drive like a maniac?”

 

“Yes, yes in fact it is, the employees beg me to drive them around, near Christmas.” Lilly gets out before dissolving into another fit of giggles. She felt fuckin’ high. What a delayed response. Was it because they’d all lived? Was it because they all might be tied to some holier than thou prophecy? Was it because they’d witnessed Lucifer rising and lived to talk about it? Was it Castiel’s death finally sinking in? Was it something as simple as her driving and being in control of something for the first time in days? Or was it just as simple as her being in shock? She giggles more at her thoughts. 

 

“You’re insane. You said you didn’t trust me to drive. That… I thought I sped. Ha.” Dean runs his hands through his hair before he turns and pins her with a stern glare. “If you ever drive like that around Baby again, you won’t remember what sitting down feels like by the time you’re able to sit down again.” He huffs, pinning her against the wall, his arms on either side of her.

 

Lilly clucks her tongue as she juts out her hip. “Promises, promises.” She comments with a grin, “Come on Dean, you don’t think that’s the first time I’ve parked next to Baby like that right?” She asks as she leans forward and playfully nips the spot over his tattoo.

 

“Stop! Shut up, I don’t need to hear this.” Dean bends down and lifts her over his shoulder, walking in the direction of the nearest bedroom.

 

“Really cause one time I accidently scraped her, and covered it with nail polish. You never even noticed.” Lilly taunts lying through her teeth. 

 

“I have inspected that car several times since we’ve moved in.” Dean tells her matter of factly. “You’re lying.” He says, tossing her on the bed.

 

“Am I though? I’ve done like a hundred time to Regina’s shit tastic gas guzzler and she hasn’t noticed.” She comments vaguely. “I can be creative when I don’t wanna get caught.”

 

“Oh yeah?” He smirks, noticing how much she also seemed to need this break, this release. The dust of the safe house didn’t even seem to be on her radar right now. “Creative huh?”

 

“Absolutely I can be downright devious.” Lilly adds huskily as she looks at him with a raised brow.

 

Dean pulls his shirt off, kicking his boots and socks to the side as he rids himself of his pants

 

“Uh-huh, I’m not having sex till you tell me how awesome of a driver I am, or at least admit I’m better than you…” Lilly comments as she looks at him with a wicked smile curving her lips.

 

“You’re a scary awesome driver!” Dean growls out, determined to keep his description honest, but willing to give in to her demands. “Now come here.”

 

Lilly shakes her head as she pushes herself off the bed before she drops to her knees in front of him, one hand wrapping around him as she slips him into her mouth. If this was his reaction to her driving, she was determined to take the wheel more often. 

 

13

 

“They just left us out here, with no explanation, and an open back door… and I’m pretty sure Lilly almost hit Dean’s car.” Sam sighs shutting the door to the Impala before he walks towards the safe house with Mae in his arms.

 

Mae smiles at his assessment before gently tapping him on the chest. With a small smile she points back to the Impala.

 

“Really? It’s like that?” Sam shakes his head in disgust at the older siblings. With a sigh he walks back to the Impala. He easily holds Mae with one arm as he opens the back door to the Impala to gently slid her into the back seat. He shuts the door behind him as he joins her, rolling down the windows for airflow in the old car.

 

Instead of immediately going to his side and letting him wrap his arms around her, Mae sits with her back against the window; facing him directly with her arms wrapped around her drawn up legs.

 

Sam notices the new position and gets as comfortable as he can in the back of the Impala, concern shining in his eyes as they sweep over her. “How are you doing baby?” He asks softly as he tries to look as unimposing as possible.

 

Mae looks up at him and wishes she could find the words to assure him. She shakes her head slowly. She supposed she should be as honest as she could be right now. All she really wanted to do was curl back up in his lap and sleep again. Who knew how long Dean and Lilly would be gone. That would leave Sam alone though, and he was worried. She couldn’t do that right now.

 

Sam watches her carefully.“I’ve been worried about you.” He tells her as he rubs the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, I can’t read your body language as well as Lilly, yet, but I’m trying. I uh, I figured out what happened...” He admits, watching her for any display of emotion. “I’m here for you baby. I can’t make it go away, but please, when you’re ready, please know, I’m here for you baby. I love you Mae. I’m sorry she had you. That she… That you- That I wasn’t there for you, sooner.”  

 

Mae’s lip trembles as she holds her hand out to Sam; gripping his hand the minute he laces their fingers. She locks eyes with him, wishing she could tell him everything; but afraid to. Her throat tightens painfully, bringing tears to her eyes.

 

Sam frowns as he gently pulls her to his chest. His free hand coming up to wipe the tears from her face. “No matter what this is, I promise we’ll work through this together. I love you Mae, I’m not letting you deal with this alone. When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be right-” He squeezes her hand softly. “Here waiting.” He swears before he brushes his lips over her knuckles, making certain to maintain eye contact. “For as long as you need me to.” He adds solemnly.  

 

Mae brings her free hand up to run her fingertips along his jaw, nodding slowly. She couldn’t help the small smile. She didn’t know if she deserved it or not, or that he’d feel that way once he learned the truth about what she had done, but she needed this right now. She needed Sam. She needed to pretend that it would all be okay for just a little longer. That she could still have him. She’d lost so much already, she couldn’t lose Sam as well. She sighs as she gently lays her head down on his chest and listens to the beat under her ear. It was strong and stable, and just everything she wasn’t at the moment. He was her anchor, and she clung to him shamelessly. She’d eventually have to talk, she knew that… She just wasn’t sure where she was supposed to begin. How did you tell your family that you’d lost it? That she’d let Lilith win? How was she supposed to come to terms with the fact she’d fallen so short compared to the rest of their small family. It made her heart hurt and her throat ache.

 

Sam looks down at Mae with a frown on his lips as he rubs her back, wishing he could do more as he coaxed her back to sleep. Torture. He could help her, he’d been tortured. Degraded, he knew he and Dean had been pretty degraded in the past. But this? Rape? Rape by a demon, this was newer territory. He couldn’t say he was shocked… But he had been surprised. Lilith had been one twisted bitch, he just hadn’t thought she’d go as far as- She was a demon. He should have known. Lilith had kissed Mae in the Toreador motel. There had been signs, he’d just chosen to overlook them. He sighs as he lets his head slowly fall back to lean against the window as he looked at the too familiar ceiling of the impala. He had failed her so miserably, and he wasn’t even sure where to start looking for the pieces to make this right.  

 

14

 

Dean grins as he catches Lilly stretching from the corner of his eye. His lips pull into a smug smile at her small noises of protest as she slowly moves and yawns. “Morning sugar. Enjoy your nap?”

 

“What is that? It’s too early for whatever- Are you smug?” Lilly grouses before she lazily leans over and nips him in reprimand. It was too early for this shit, and he looked like a cat that just ate a big ol’ canary. She didn’t like it. She takes a deep breath and wipes at her eyes before she turns to check on the littles. She blinks, noting their intimate position that indicated normalcy. She turns back; her eyes scanning for her phone before she scooped it out of the cupholder it was currently charging in. She takes several pictures of the sleeping couple, and when she’s content with them she falls lazily onto Dean. She smiles as she curls into a ball on the bench seat, forgetting about the phone now that it was no longer needed.  

 

“Oh, you guys aren’t fighting?” Sam asks with a yawn.

 

“Fake sleeping is for children Sammy.” Lilly chides him, not moving from next to Dean.

 

“Or for younger siblings who don’t want to hear their older siblings fighting.” Sam adds. “Since in your words, I’m the brother you never wanted.”

 

“I guess that works then.” Lilly teases before she buries her red face into Dean’s side, embarrassed. “I feel like things said before death should not be held against people.” She adds with a groan.

 

“I’m not holding it against you, I’m acknowledging that it happened, It’s nice to know. I love you like a sister too.” Sam admits.

 

“I feel like yer bein’ an asshole an’ that you are in fact, holdin’ it against me. Otherwise it wouldn’t have been brought up...” Lilly grumbles as she lets out a resigned sigh. She sits up and turns to look at Sam. “Also Soror. Not sure what happened, but we’re not usin’ the other word.” She frowns as her eyes sweep over Mae with concern and sadness.

 

Sam nods slowly. “Right. Soror then.” He looks back down to Mae in his arms. The word sister upset her? What could have done that?

 

Lilly looks back to Sam with a small smile of appreciation as Dean watches and listens to the two of them in confusion. Had Lilly and Sam come up with some secret fucking language while he wasn’t around?  “Once more, I’m left out and confused. You two are a menace.” He grumbles, looking in the rearview mirror to check on Mae.

 

“Not my fault you can’t keep up Dean.” Lilly teases as she turns back in the front seat leaning against him. She changes the subject still suspicious about the smug smirk she had woken up too. “Why is it an ice box in the car?” She asks looking between the dials and Dean before she let’s out a deep sigh. “Did you not sleep?” She asks as she rubs at her temples. 

 

“Nope. We’re only about two hours away from a town though. We can find a place to crash there, I’ll be fine.”

 

“You… You didn’t sleep at all? What the fuck Tex, how did you not sleep?” Lilly asks with indignation, offended that he also didn’t pass the fuck out after their sexcapades; she felt slightly inadequate. Like she usually did after having sex with the man. Dean was a fucking beast.

 

“We kind of left the littles outside. I mean, I went to go check on them and found them asleep in the back.” Dean tells her, the smug smirk coming back as he leans down to kiss her temple.

 

Lilly looks up at the man, noting the smug look was back, her suspicion kicking in tenfold. “That look, not a fan. There is nothing to be smug about in those words.” 

 

“Uh huh.” He chuckles, eyes already back on the road.

 

“That does it, next possible chance we have, I’m fucking you into a coma. And  _ then _ I’m going to go clean afterwards.” She growls at him, not thinking of what else he could be smug about. “Smug fuckin’...” She let’s out a slew of curses in several languages.

 

“Hello… We are still back here!” Sam says, shaking his head. He watches cautiously as Mae turns her head away from the noise, a pained expression on her face. He rubs her arm gently, pulling the hair out of her face.

 

“Heard, and noted. Only reason Dean’s dick ain’t in my mouth.” Lilly comments dismissively. Like she wasn’t aware they were in the back seat, the little- Well, big, brat.

 

“Dammit Sam. Go the fuck back to sleep.” Dean jokes.

 

“Not funny.” Sam glares.

 

“Oh come off it Sammy, Mae tells me about your sexcapades all the time, get your panties out of the twist." Lilly comments offhandedly with a roll of her eyes.

 

“You guys talk about us to each other?” Dean asks, his mind bringing up images of girl slumber parties and talking about boys.

 

“Yeah…” Lilly comments as she looks up at Dean. “I mean, you two don’t? I mean it’s normal to compare and contrast right?” She asks as she thinks about it, it’s not like she had much to compare it too. Who else was she supposed to talk to about her sex life? It’s not like Mae was ever a whore, but before Dean she hadn’t slept with anyone. Mae had a string of boyfriends through the years, and she had looked forward to the after stories. Was that not normal?  _ Damn it... _

 

“What!?” The brothers say at the same time.

 

“Nevermind...” Lilly sighs as she drops her eyes and goes back to leaning against Dean. She had thought the behavior had been normal… I mean, Marie had made it seem normal at the time. 

 

“What do you guys compare? Wait, nevermind, I don’t want to know!” Dean says, worried about the ramifications of being compared to his brother.

 

“We don’t go into detail if that’s what you're worried about... But like, what we’re into in stuff, the amount of orgasms we’ve made you guys have, vice versa, you know normal stuff… I thought. I mean Mae usually wants to talk about it, and I mean she’s the most normal person I know. I mean to be fair, I used to grill her about her old relationships, so yeah… I mean… Sorry...”

 

“So, you guys just do the normal sibling talking about sex stuff, no indepth details?” Sam asks, half curiouse, half modified; one hundred percent sure that this was just always going to be a thing. 

 

“Some details happen.” Lilly shrugs, not sure why it was upsetting them so much.

 

“So, Mae knows things about me?” Dean asks with a strained blank face.

 

“Uh-huh. And I know things about Sam. Some I wish I didn’t, some she probably wishes she didn’t. I mean it’s kinda like a give and take thing… I don’t know, I just don’t know anymore.”

 

“Does she like what she hears?” Dean’s blank face finally breaks into another smug grin.

 

“Well it’s not like I have much to compare it to, but I think you’re amazing so yeah, I brag. So does she, I mean I’m like ninety percent sure she’s bragging. I mean Sam’s apparently able to keep up with her. She usually kill- I mean, she’s like the fuckin’ energizer bunny.”

 

“This falls into things I didn’t want to know about the girl I think of as a sister.” Dean grumbles as he looks back to the road with a frown on his lips.

 

Sam watches Mae carefully to see if the word affected her. The way she was becoming restless made him worry.

 

Lilly looks to Dean crawling up to her knees whispering into his ear. “It’s Soror. Don’t use sister anymore okay. I’ll tell you later, I promise, just please. I know this is frustrating Cowboy, just it’s not my story, and please, just don’t. For Mae.” 

 

“Fine, what’s the word?” Dean says, his eyes looking back into the mirror to check on the sleeping girl again. 

 

“Soror.” Lilly supplies helpfully. “Like sorority, minus the ‘ity’ it’s latin, and is roughly the same thing, except more accurate.”

 

“Soroar, got it.” Dean smiles at her, frustrated but respecting it for now, planning to make her stick with her promise. Wanting to know what the fuck was going on. He knew she was raped, was pissed about it. He also knew he was missing something.

 

Lilly smiles and kisses his jaw. “I love you.” She says as she hugs him when they all hear screams coming from the back seat. She whips her head to the side as she turns to see Mae crying and flailing in her sleep. She was positive if they’d been somewhere with more space Mae would have been sleep walking right now. That wasn’t good, she was going to end up hurting herself. She slides forward as Dean slams his arm to brace her, pressing her to the seat. He pulls over to the side of the road, putting the car in park as he lets go of Lilly to look in the back of the car.

 

“Nooo!” Mae screams as she continues to flail, blocking an unseen attacker. They catch glimpses of her face, wet from tears and scrunched tightly in terror.

 

Sam struggles to keep her against him, shielding her from her own arms, not caring about the hits he’s taking.“Shhh, Mae baby. It’s ok. Mae, Mae. Come on baby, it’s ok.” He looks up realising the car was no longer moving. “Help me get her out guys, I think it’ll help.” He spits out, struggling to prevent Mae from hurting herself. She was surprisingly strong in her sleep and he was having difficulty restraining her; it was beginning to scare him.

 

Lilly rushes to the side of the car, immediately followed by Dean. She rips the passenger side door open, watching as Sam passes the flailing Mae to Dean so he can get out of the car. Sam immediately takes her back from Dean before he rushes into the field Dean had pulled over next to where he lays her in the grass; still doing his best to protect her even as she screams and flails.

 

“Why aren’t you following him?” Dean asks his pacing girlfriend, who was watching the younger couple wearily. 

 

Lilly was torn and painfully lost. She kept stopping, turning to the field before shaking her head, only to begin pacing all over again. She bites her lip at Dean’s question and her hands sink into her hair, pulling at its roots before she drops them to her sides. 

 

“Cause it’s dirt? Seriously Lilly, this is your fucking sister.”

 

“I-I, go. Just go.” Lilly breathes out, resigned as she kicked at the pavement in frustration. 

 

“I’m not getting closer to her right now.”

“You’ll be fine, it’s me she’ll have a problem with.” Lilly explains with a sigh as she pulls at her hair. She sighs and leans forward patting him down til she finds a knife. She pulls it from his pocket and cuts her upper arm. She couldn’t help Mae, but she could at least protect them. It would be safer to have a ward up.

 

“How in the world is that true? Why would she have a problem with you. I’m surprised you’re letting Sam touch her right now.” Dean shakes his head as he realizes what Lilly was doing.

 

“I’m the problem.” Lilly comments as she kneels down and starts painting the sigil on the pavement. It was disgusting, but she didn’t dare mess with baby’s paint job; teasing Dean was one thing, causing real damage to his car another. This had to be the first time in her life that her tits were causing this much anguish. She couldn’t even try to calm Mae at the moment. Gods forbid her sister wake up to a female touching her right now. That would be disastrous. She blinks back her tears of frustration as she makes another rune with her blood.

 

“Lilly,” Dean says, grabbing her by the shoulders. “You clearly want me to understand something and I’m not getting it. Help me understand Babe.” 

 

Lilly takes in a deep breath, as she starts on the next rune. She didn’t feel any angels about to make themselves known, but she’d rather be safe than stupid. She bites her lip as she weighs her options before she makes up her mind. Dean’s ignorance wasn’t helping the situation, she hoped Mae would understand that, and forgive her. She just needed Dean to understand. She felt enough like a monster without being questioned, and it wasn’t fair to Dean. “Tex, she was raped by Lilith.”

 

“I know.” Dean exclaims in confusion. “Sam said that.”

 

“Lilith. Feminine, female, vagina, tits.” Lilly comments with a frown as she grabs her chest with her blood free hand for emphasis. What was he not understanding? She frowns as she releases her chest and dips her bloody fingers back into the cut, so she could finish the ward.

 

“Lilith... Was in a female host when she did that to her?” Dean asks, embarrassed that it had taken so much for him to realize that Lilith had just stayed in that body.

 

“Yeah Tex...” Lilly breathes out as she makes the last mark not looking up. How the fuck was she supposed to help with this? She felt so absolutely useless.

 

“Lilith did things to Mae. As a woman.” Dean continues, not even sure why he had thought it had been a man.

 

Lilly takes a deep breath focusing on Dean, on his words. She looks up to him as she pulls back to her full height.  She blinks at him as she tries to make out his confusion, before she suddenly understands. If the topic wasn’t so dark she would’ve smiled. Dean could be so… Traditional sometimes it hurt. She usually loved that about him, but in this case it was making things more complicated than it needed to be. “This I can fix, that-” She says pointing to their siblings “I cannot. Okay.” She takes a deep breath as she looks him over speculatively. “Can a man rape a woman?”

 

Dean lets out a sigh, feeling stupid. “Yes, Lilly-”

 

Lilly shakes her head, as she takes his hand and squeezes it, in comfort. “Can a man rape a man?”

 

“Uh, well I uh-”

 

“Think prison Dean, before you answer that, can a man rape a man?”

 

“Yes, wh- What are-”

 

“Can a woman rape a man?”

 

“No? Yes? I have never thought about this before. Hold on…” Dean frowns as he thinks about it with a frown tugging on his lips. He’d certainly never worried about rape. Could a woman over power a man like that? He had a hard time picturing it. Maybe if she drugged him? His frown deepens. Or if the guy was gay? This was complicated. What constituted rape? An unwilling party, he’d never been one of those… And he knew for damn sure all of his partners had always been willing. There were those reports of fourteen year olds being ‘raped’ by their teachers, but he’d been there. He didn’t think that was rape at all. It had been quite the experience. He shakes his head. 

 

Lilly blinks at him as she holds a finger. “Right, I see this is where that thought might start. Heard you’ve never been an unwilling participant, and I’m grateful for that, but unfortunately that isn’t the case. I think I get that disconnect.” She takes a deep breath. “Okay, one yes with the proper amount of force and coercion a woman can rape a man. In fact if given the... Proper, um, circumstances and motivations, anyone can rape anyone. Does that make sense?” She asks softly as she looks up to him with her head tilted slightly to the side as she watched him. 

 

Dean looks from the field where Sam was still struggling with Mae to Lilly standing in front of him.  His dad had taught them to respect women. He knew that force was force, and no meant no. “Yeah, I mean. Yes. I guess I just never thought about it.” His thoughts tended to stay in the saving humans from monsters. Monster monsters, not human ones. It suddenly felt weird that he’d never thought about monsters… He sighs. Suffering had always been suffering, and saving people had always just meant getting them out of the situation alive. 

 

“I’m not sure many people do…” Lilly assures him with a somber look. “Most rape victims never report it, it’s a really degrading process… Women get treated like whores, and the men are often laughed at. It’s humiliating.” She adds with a frown as she runs her hand through her hair without thinking about it, smearing the strands with blood.

 

“I just, I thought you guys meant that Lilith had possessed some poor bastard to torture Mae.” That sounded like something demons would do. He’d never had to think about this before. His family had never been so violated. And he felt like an idiot for needing this talk.

 

“But wouldn’t it be just as humiliating to Mae? Being raped by another female?” Lilly prompts with a thoughtful frown as she continued watching him.

 

“Is it? I mean, it was another- Wait, wait, don’t yell at me, just let me, think. Hold on.” Dean walks away for a moment. He saw his mouth heading for that trap, and luckily he had caught it, because that had almost been a bunch of stupid. Lilith was a demon. Of course she could overpower Mae. No it wouldn’t make it better that Lilith was in a female body. Demons were creative. He supposed that was true for anyone.

 

Lilly crosses her arms as she leans against baby her eyes taking in Dean’s expression. She felt like she had just taken away another slice of her  _ consorts  _ humanity and it was making her feel weary and tired. She turned to the littles in the field, watching as Sam continued to sooth and comfort Mae, who was now crying in his arms. She takes a deep breath before turning back to find Dean still pacing. This conversation may have been necessary, but it was no less painful. John had certainly raised himself a couple of chauvinists and it was showing; watching Dean struggle with this concept was difficult.

 

After a few minutes Dean walks back over to her. “Gods. I uh, Yes. You’re right. I don’t know why I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Rape is rape.”

 

_ John, John’s the fucking reason.  _ “You’re not the only person with those...ideals. But realistically, any one ca-”

 

“No, I mean, I think it’s just, the word Rape, I mean, I hear it and I feel bad for the unnamed girl that was hurt by a heartless bastard. I, I knew that wasn’t the only  _ way _ it happened.”

 

“It’s normal. That’s normal. People often don’t think about the other combinations. Woman are the weaker sex, we just are.  _ Fact. _ But anyone can be overpowered and humiliated in that way, it’s just that’s the quickest combination that makes the most  _ ‘sense’ _ . My question here is actually why. Why did Lilith choose rape as a form of torment? I get she was a fuckin’ complete whack job, that she was a demon, but did she have more incentive than that?” Lilly comments with a frown as she rubs at her arms. When she had been stuck with Vincent she’d never been singled out, to the men bedding her she wasn’t being raped. They had paid. Vincent had ordered her to please them. There had been some days she’d fought and sure some of the men had continued, but most had grown confused and stopped. Some had even attempted to help her, but she’d been forced to run them off. She’d been constantly scared of having to turn and kill them if Vincent had found out.

 

This was the third time Mae had been singled out by a completely insane party. That was more than a coincidence. She worries her bottom lip as she thinks about it, sending a shard of ice into her heart. There were going to be more fucking crazies, there always were, how was she supposed to save Mae from that? How did she share that without sounding completely paranoid? She couldn’t stop the shudder that ran through her. It was a terrifyingly sobering thought, that made her stomach twist with fear.

 

“I don’t know babe. Until Mae talks to us we won’t be able to know. We might never know, even after she talks.” Dean admits before he turns to look out over the littles. “Do you want me to go check on Mae for you?

 

“I would, I really, really, would.” Lilly admits, looking down in shame as she kicks at the concrete.

 

They both turn their heads as another scream pierces the night air. 

 

“Going.” Dean pecks her lightly on the forehead before he takes off running towards the littles. 

 

Lilly watches the three in the field, feeling more helpless and useless than she had in a long time.  She had no other option but to trust the brothers with her troubled sister. She watches them from a distance, envying them for their ability to comfort her, to touch her and hold her and assure her it was going to be okay. That was supposed to be her job. It had been for so long, it almost felt as if she’d been replaced. That she wasn’t needed. Her heart hurts at the thought before she just shakes her head. The world was ending, did it really matter? What were the chances of all of them making it out of this? It was good. This was good. She swallows hard as she holds herself tighter. Mae needed more than just her, needed to be understood and taken care of by more than just her and Bobby. She needed to make sure if something happened to her that Mae would still have people to lean on, and as she was watching Sam and Dean coax her in this current state she’d realized they’d broken into their home and tried to kill her. A small sad smile curled her lips at the thought, of course she’d have found some semblance of a real family the year the world was going to end. She pulls out the amulet, hidden beneath her shirt, and grips it tightly. 

 

Eventually Dean starts walking back to Lilly, his face drawn with worry. When he reaches her he takes her in his arms and turns to lean his back against the car with her against his chest. 

 

“What’s happening?” Lilly asks as she’s pulled from her thoughts, looking up at Dean with worry clouding her eyes.

 

“She’s not talking in her sleep. Just screaming and sobbing. Sam’s managed to keep her from hurting herself and she’s not fighting so much anymore now that he has her on the grass. She’s going to be ok.” Dean tells her, kissing her forehead. He keeps her tucked to him, his eyes still on the two in the darkening field as he watches over them, guarding his family against trouble.


	7. Chapter 5

15

“Look at us, classin’ it up for the ladies.” Dean jokes as he pulls up to a much nicer hotel than normal. “Shopping trips at fancy shops and now ritzy digs.” He flashes a cajoling grin at Lilly. 

“Uh, thanks Dean.” Lilly comments as she looks over the- Well she supposed it may have been less disgusting, but still nowhere near her standard for a hotel. She wanted her damn credit cards with her. She wanted her wallet, and her money, and her clothes; she takes a deep breath instead. He was trying, and it was adorable. He’d picked Olive Garden as a nice restaurant, but she loved him anyways. She looks up at the Holiday Inn sign and forces a smile on her lips. She loved him, and it wasn’t a roach motel. The chances that a hooker had been killed in the one of the beds had certainly dropped drastically. “I appreciate it.”

Dean pulls her into his side and presses a kiss on the top of her head. “Better than it was?” He asks hesitantly.

“Yes, immensely. ” Lilly nods as she leans into him. Her smile tightens; even if they had gone to a nicer hotel she seriously doubted the guys would let her go to a spa anyways. 

Mae smiles at the two before she leans her head against Sam’s chest. They were being so adorable; Dean putting in extra effort, and Lilly doing her best to make it work. Lilly didn’t like traveling; had never wanted to travel and had never made it a secret. The fact that she wasn’t having a full meltdown was astonishing. 

“I’ll go check in, be back in a moment.” Dean comments with a smile after squeezing Lilly’s shoulder before he walks towards the main office.

“Hey Baby.” Sam pulls Mae’s hand up to brush a kiss on her palm. “Why don’t you two go catch up with Dean. I’ve got an errand I need to run.”

“You sure Dean’s going to be fine with you breaking from the herd?” Lilly asks with a frown as she eyes Sam. He didn’t seem to be jonesing for anything, wasn’t being particularly angry; but she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to let him go out on his own yet. First and foremost, he ingested demon blood again; while she wasn’t particularly blaming him, it was no less concerning. Then there was the whole demons seeking him out. Which again, wasn’t news. Mae needed him though, and if he left she wasn’t sure how her sister would feel. She wouldn’t be able to comfort Mae, and though she was sure Dean could do it, neither of them were going to be as efficient as Sam and the realization bothered her. Why the fuck was he trying to leave, when it was so obvious that he was needed here.

Sam takes an even breath before he looks Lilly straight in the eyes, his face serious. “They just didn’t have everything at I need at the place we stopped at. I’ll be quick, and hopefully it will help us hide from the angels and demons” 

Mae nods and gives Sam an encouraging smile.

Lilly looks up at Sam, her eyes narrowed in skepticism. “Fine. Move swiftly.” She tells him before she turns to Mae and her features soften. “Come on, let’s meet up with Dean.” She sighs as she starts walking, crossing her arms across her chest to keep herself from touching Mae. As adorable as skirts were, she was really starting to miss having pockets. Or maybe she could go back to hoodies. She’s basically lived in them as a teen. They just were so cumbersome and bag like, and made it nearly impossible to showcase the proper amount of skin.

Mae looks back over her shoulder as Sam slips away before she shortens her stride to stay in step with Lilly, pressing her arm against against her as she moves closer.

Lilly can’t help the smile as she looks up at Mae. It was progress and she was happy. She tentatively reaches out and takes her sister’s hand, cupping it with her own. Her entire being focused on Mae’s reaction to the touch.

Mae squeezes her hand tighter as they pass through the automatic sliding doors. 

16 

“Alright, it’s official. Research sucks. You having any more luck on the laptop there Mae?” Dean asks from where he’s lounging on the couch. He shifts to move the books from his lap before taking another one to start on.

Mae shakes her head as she clicks back through the tabs she has open.

“I doubt that piece of shit is going to have what we’re looking for, unless someone spends their free time xeroxing millennia old scriptures. But we’re not that lucky, and most people who would do that certainly wouldn’t share it.” Lilly rolls her eyes as she thinks about Bobby and his treasure trove of research materials he apparently kept hidden in his basement. At least Thoth was kind enough to let her borrow some of his books. “We don’t even know where to start looking for- Which by the way, what exactly are we looking for? How to crate a fallen angel? No wait, sorry, my bad. How to crate a fallen Archangel.” Lilly asks from the bed where she’s thumbing through her own book.

Mae shrugs. She was currently checking up on the weather around the world. It didn’t look good. Tornados, out of season hurricanes, earthquakes and even volcanoes were causing havoc all over the world. She shakes her head, closing the laptop as she stands. She walks over to the few books arranged around Lilly, looking for one she could read.

“I can’t think straight, I don’t even know how to answer that.” Dean shakes his head as he lets the book in his hands tip over to land in the pile with the rest he hadn't gotten to yet. He stands and stretches before joining Mae and Lilly. “I’m going to catch some sleep. This one ours?” He asks as he slides his shoes and socks off.

“Heard, and preferably, since I’m already here.” Lilly comments absently as she turns the page in the book.

Dean takes his shirt off and climbs under the covers of the bed she’s on, managing to partially curl around her.

Lilly chuckles before she leans over to kiss the top of Dean’s head, relieved he was finally giving in to sleep. She shifts so that she’s using him for back support before picking her book back up.

Mae smiles down at the two of them before she hesitantly runs her hand over Dean’s head, half heartedly mussing his hair the way he had done to her so many times.

Dean lifts his head to Mae “Thanks, parum soror.” He whispers, happy when he sees a small smile on her lips before he curls up on the bed again.

Lilly beams down at Dean, proud he had at least found something of use in the books, noting Mae’s slight shift in demeanor as well. She turns back with an encouraging smile at Mae as she watches her resume her place at the table with a book.

After some time Dean begins snoring and Lilly wiggles out of the bed, putting a pillow in Dean’s arm before she walks over to Mae. “I’m sorry I told Dean what I knew… he was getting really worried, and he was the only one who wasn’t, who didn’t… well you know.” She admits as she sits at the table across from her.

Mae gives her a small smile, reaching across the short distance to put a hand on Lilly’s arm. 

“I gotcha… It’s not something I’d want to talk about. Thank you for not being me about it.” She smiles at her.

She tilts her head to the side in question.

“I think I’d be pissed, if you just blurted it out like I did.”

Mae furrows her brow and shakes her head slowly before she shrugs. She didn’t want to talk about things, but she didn’t want to make them guess what was wrong either. She lets out a sigh as her eyes drop to her folded hands resting on the table.

“I’m worried about you, you know. You worry me, a lot.” Lilly breaks the silence as she closes the book, her eyes on her sister. “I just need you to know that, we’re all worried about you Mae. I love you, no matter what, you know that right?” She asks as she watches Mae carefully with a frown on her lips.

Mae slowly lifts her eyes to Lilly’s, her lower lip trembling. How could they still love her when they found out she had answered Lilith’s every question. Her eyes tear up before she turns her head away from Lilly, unable to answer her question.

“Harps, I mean it. I love you.” Lilly says softly as she puts her hand on Mae’s forearm and squeezes. “No matter what. There is nothing in the world anyone could do to make me care about you less. Not even anything you could do. You’ve been my soror for years. Nothing is going to change that…” She adds with a small sincere smile.

A tear trickles down Mae’s face as she turns back to Lilly; her eyes drop again after a few seconds.

Lilly sighs as she readjusts and reaches over to wipe at Mae’s tears. “Seriously chick, nothing. We’ve been together through so much shit, and our future isn’t looking any less smelly.”

Mae hiccups and a small smile tugs at the corners of her lips.

“There’s nothing in this verse that could possibly make me hate you… I will justify it every time. I can’t. I just can’t hate you. Even now, you’re making me be all touchy-feely and shit, and I still don’t hate you.”

Mae lets out a mournful sigh as she grabs her sketchbook and a pencil. Lilly could hate her, or at least be mad at her; and she’d deserve it. She broke. She shakily scribbles a message to Lilly, finally explaining in few words her treachery.

Lilly looks over the quickly jotted down words and can’t help the small snort of laughter that comes out of her mouth, as she quickly looks to make sure Dean is still sound a sleep. “The followers know I like My chemical Romance too, and that I sleep with a bear blanket, and that I’ve clean naked because of bleach stains, and that I’m obsessed with say yes to the dress because most those families make Regina look, well decent if nothing else… I’ve talked too, so if this is what this is about you’re being dumb.”

Mae blinks at her before she snatches the pad of paper back and writes another message with tears streaming from her eyes..

You talked about yourself. I did that at first too.  
Then she started asking about you and everyone else.  
I didn’t want to talk, but then I did.  
I told her everything.  
If she asked I answered. I just wanted her to stop.  
We’re not supposed to talk about family.  
Not suppose to trade information for ourselves.

Lilly rolls her eyes. “But you're not me, Mae. You can’t do this to yourself.” She sighs as she thinks about it, rereading the note. “This, this we’re not supposed to talk about family shit, you can’t be like that anymore. This was back when it was just me and you against Sioux Falls, namely Regina. Not fucking demons and angels Mae. They’ll fucking kill you, and they’ll do it slowly while licking the damn tears off your cheeks. Everything we used to know went fucking flying out the window. They don’t care about the damn laws. They don’t care about getting caught. They don’t have any shred of humanity to keep them at bay, and the humans who are touched by this are just as fucking bad... You don’t talk and there will be serious fucking consequences and it can only go two ways.” She takes a deep breath. “You’ll die. Plain and simple. Unless of course they’re only keeping you alive because they need the information. You’re a bright chick, read the fucking room. It’s not going to get easier from here, and fuck, I wish I could say it would never happen again, that I could stop it, but that would be doing you a disservice. Hopefully there’ll be enough time between the bouts of shittiness to work on someshit, but not fucking likely.” She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “You can learn to adapt, add some tools to your getting captured toolbox, figure out the best way for you to survive, which, I’m proud you did. I had no idea how much survivor’s guilt you’d have just for talking, and-” She lets out another sigh. “I can see I did you no fucking favors there. I’m sorry.” She looks Mae over with a somber expression.

Mae takes a deep breath through her tears. Her throat tightening up as she opened her mouth to try and finally explain, to tell Lilly everything. She needed someone to tell her what to do. She had no idea. Everything was so dark. Her breath hitches and she closes her eyes in frustration. She furiously wipes at her eyes, her face reddening before she looks at Lilly in determination. She holds up two fingers between them, needing Lilly to finish her explanation.

Lilly bites her lip, “Well the second path of not talking... The torture gets worse. Lungs get taken, your thigh get impaled to a table like one of those frogs in anatomy. They’ll find what your weaknesses are, they’ll take their time to find out what really makes you tick. They’ll torture you, degrade you… And then you get to come home, with this false sense of pride and a brave mask only for Sam to eventually find out. You get to watch as he slowly begins blaming himself, becoming increasingly helpless and lost and tries to fix irreparable pieces. You’ll throw the mask back on, file everything away as disputable evidence and slowly lose the trust of the person you love. You’ll see the fear cloud his eyes, the shame and self loathing. You’ll feel the disappointment. See him completely lost and broken because you were too arrogant, too stubborn to let them see who you really are. You’ll see him slowly lose confidence, you’ll watch him get angry, and the trust between you will slowly start dissipating. Every encounter with Sam will become an interrogation and it brings a whole new level of guilt and shame.” 

Mae cringes. Lilly wasn’t talking about her anymore. She was talking about herself. She was talking about everything that had happened to her that she tried to hide from the rest of them. The time she and Sam could remember, the time with the followers, the time Alistair had her. All the times that Lilly had been tortured.

“However with the path you’ve carved yourself, you don’t have to feel that disappointment. You’re just disappointed in yourself. I mean, cause I know none of us are upset and disappointed with you, sure we’re a bit lost about how to help you, worried for you but we’re not in any way blaming you for any of this. You did everything in your power to save yourself from Lilith, right?”

Mae meets Lilly’s gaze and slowly nods. Would they really not blame her for talking? Even though Lilith had told her she wasn’t going to kill her? Well, they’d probably tell her that demons lie, but everything had happened just the way Lilith had said it was going to.

Lilly looks Mae over speculatively for a moment before letting out a sigh. Mae looked doubtful. She looked lost. She looked sad, and disappointed. “You know, Dean and me, we both always pretend this shit doesn’t bother us…. I mean, at least when it happens to us personally, gods forbid it happens to you or Sam, or even to one another... Do you know what we do when it happens to us? Just to ourselves” She asks as she tilts the side just slightly. “He drinks, I cut, we lash out, push people away, and then we fuck, usually angrily... That seem any better than what you're doing right now?”

Mae frowns before she tilts her head to the side, her brow furrowed as she thinks about what she is doing. She was just trying to get through each day without breaking down again, trying to figure out how to ask the people she loved to still love her.

Lilly gives a small encouraging smile. “You’re trying to figure out how to move on, right? How to continue functioning with what you’ve been through? To maybe, hopefully come to terms with it? I’ve known you since you were eight Mae. I’ve never seen you this way… It scares me, but I know with some time you’ll bounce back, you’r you. I’m not going to let her win like that. You mean too much to me, to us. You’re going to have to return to us, Ariel. We’re not just going to let you run away. We’re too codependent for that shit. You know that. If nothing else we’re too selfish. We’ll see you to the end and not leave your side. We just want to support you, just give us a direction.”

Mae wipes at her face again before she takes the pad back.

You’re really not mad, or upset, or disappointed with me?

Lilly snorts at the paper as she looks up in disbelief. “Fuck no, are you an idiot?”

Mae slowly shakes her head.

“Then don’t be stupid.” Lilly shakes her head as she places down the pad of paper. “I ain’t fuckin’ Marie, and I certainly ain’t Maat. I don’t know what to do to help you. I can barely recognize my emotions, let alone the depths of yours. I do know, there’s not much that you could do to make me mad or disappointed though.”

Mae looks at Lilly for a moment before she stands. Before Lilly can even react, Mae falls to her knees next to the chair she’s in and wraps her arms around her waist.

“Oh…” Lilly comments as she looks down at her sister and watches as her shoulders shake, before her world is rocked by sobs. “Oh… I-It’s okay.” She frowns as she contemplates running her hand through her hair, before stopping herself. She looks over to Dean and glares, damning him for his sleep and feeling seriously ill-equipped to handle the current situation. Pre-Lilith, she could have been all over this. No one living could comfort Mae like she could… But now? Fuck, what had she said to elicit this type of response. She takes a deep breath and sighs before slowly sinking her fingers into her sister’s wavy main. Her eyes constantly alert for any change in Mae’s countenance.

But Mae’s only response was to hug her tighter; was to press her face into Lilly’s side. The first few sobs had been loud and heart wrenching, but now it had settled into a cry. Mae was crying, that was normal. A small smile quirks her lips as she begins singing an old gaelic lullaby River had taught her. It felt so familiar, nostalgic even. It had been years since she’d even thought the lyrics to the song, how clever River was. The song was warding off fairies. How peculiar.

After a long while Mae’s shoulders stop shaking. A few more minutes and she slowly turns her red eyes up to look at Lilly. She takes a deep breath and hugs Lilly tightly once more.

“I love you too.” Lilly smiles softly at her. “Want something ta eat before ya pass out from crying?”

With her face still pressed to Lilly’s side she nods.

“Alright.” Lilly nods, waiting for Mae to release her. After several long moments, she just sighs and pats Mae’s back. “I… Have to get up to get food.”

Mae pulls her arms from around Lilly, mouthing oops as she stands and wipes at her eyes again.

“It’s alright.” Lilly smiles as she stands. “I doubt they’ll have fruit… Skittles okay? You could use some rainbows…”

Mae gives Lilly a small smile as she nods before sliding back into her seat. She looks down at the pad of paper in front of her and rips the conversation out, wadding it up before she carelessly tosses it towards the waste bin.

“Right.” Lilly nods as she starts to the door only to stop. She hangs her head before letting out a sigh. Right. She was broke. She shakes her head before she walks over to check Dean and Sam’s bags. She pulls out a twenty with some hesitation. They wouldn’t mind right? She’d pay them back when they got home… She looks over to Dean, not wanting to wake him to ask. It was the first time since Lucifer had risen she’d seen him sleeping. She pouts as she stands up. “Anything else? Like a sprite, for the Sprite?” She grins as she looks back at Mae.

Mae grins up at Lilly before she starts pulling pencils out of her new art box. With a contented sigh she settles into back into the chair to work on a new sketch.

“Heard.” Lilly nods as she spots the key card on the table. “I’ll see if they have some healthy pop tarts to go with it.” She sighs. “I hear the sprinkles are extra nutritional…” She mumbles under her breath as she heads for the door.

Mae chuckles and shakes her head as her pencil begins to fly over the page.

“Be back in five to ten minutes. If it takes longer though, I probably got lost, not kidnapped, so don’t freak or nothin’.” Lilly tells her before she slips out of the door, making sure it locked behind her. She looks around the hallway for a moment, disgusted by the decor and cheap rug, before she just commits to a direction; looking for the ice or vending machine signs. 

After a short walk, that took forever, she rounds a corner to find an ice machine next to a couple of vending machines.

“Jack pot.” Lilly smiles as she looks over the depressing machine; she frowns at the pepsi products. “Well that’s another disappointment, could they not afford real soda? Or do they just prefer keeping things cheap with low expectations?” She asks the blue machine scathingly.

“Lilly?” She hears from behind her.

“Oh hey Sammy.” Lilly comments with a final glare at the machines before she turns around to greet Sam, plastering a smile on her face. “I took a twenty… From one of your bags, I’ll pay ya’ll back.”

“Uh… okay. That’s fine, I don’t care.” Sam walks up to her quickly, his brow furrowed in worry. “Are you ok?”

Lilly looks him over skeptically. “Are you sure it’s fine, Dean called this a nicer hotel and I’m glad that this- You know what doesn’t matter not important. Thank, you. If we ever get back to Mystic, I’ll pay you back.”

Sam lets out a small sigh, but can’t hide the smile. “It’s really okay Lilly. You and Mae are constantly paying for shit. It’s twenty dollars of hustling money.”

Lilly opens her mouth, but just as quickly shuts it, opting to nod her head. She’d seen, and had even slept in the fleabag motels they called their ‘home’ when they weren’t with Mae and her at Mystic. It was not fine, in fact it felt very wrong. Police got paid more than they did. Teachers. Janitors. People in fast food. Homeless, the homeless made more money peddling. Then there was Sam and Dean saving the world, one fucking nightmare at a time, hustling pool for money. Oh this was… This felt like privileged guilt. She could always give her blood money to Dean… Why hadn’t she thought of that sooner? She smiles. 

“Right… So are you okay? Is Mae okay? Where’s Dean?” Sam looks around the hallway. Lilly was very close to the entrance of the hotel and not even on the same floor they were staying on.

“I’m getting rainbows and knock off sprite.” Lilly comments with a shrug. “Maybe a pop tart… I don’t know, did you pick up food while you were gone by any chance? Mae actually mentioned being hungry...So, here I am looking at the abysmal options… Should I get last year’s seasonal skittles, or what I’m sure is a rock hard mockery of a pastry?”

Sam pulls a face at her listed choices. “Want to just go grab something with me?”

“Yes.” Lilly nods before turning to look up at him. “Yes I do, please and thank you. She’s already feeling like shit, I would like to not add food poisoning. That’s not gonna help.”

Sam nods as he turns to walk towards the exit but quickly turns back to look at Lilly once more “Oh uh. Here.” He says as he pulls a small pouch from his jacket pocket.

“What’s this?” Lilly asks, taking the offered red leather pouch.

“It’s a hex bag, it’ll block us from the demons and the angels.”

“Sounds witchy.” Lilly comments with a shrug. “And, do I wear it around my neck, or in a-I don’t have pockets…”

“Kind of. But I don’t worship any demons so, not the same. Think of it as a do harm unto none ritual.” Sam shrugs. “You just need to keep it on you, around your neck is fine.”

“Kay, thanks Sammy.” Lilly shrugs as she pulls out one of her many necklaces. She pauses before she can actually attach the bag. “Say, you're not like being possessed by a demon are you?” She asks bluntly.

Sam chuckles as he pulls his shirt to the side to show her his tattoo. “Are you?” He asks with a small smile. He knew it was her though, he’d watched her stand in front of the machines with a look of abject horror on her face for a few minutes before he’d walked up to her.

Lilly looks over the intact tattoo with a sigh of relief. “Heard.” She nods before she lifts up her shirt; responding in kind to reveal her own anti possession tattoo. She quickly attaches the hex back to the necklace with the ankh securely before she tucks it back under her shirt. She looks back up at Sam. “I’m thinking someplace with smoothies. She hasn’t really eaten much in a couple days and it’ll be easier on her stomach.” She adds as she scratches the back of her head. “And pick up some fast food grease for Dean?”

Sam nods at Lilly’s idea. “She has been drinking everything I’ve given her. That might work, you’re a genius.”

“Trial and error.” Lilly corrects with a shrug, following him to the car.

17

“She would be sleeping.” Lilly sighs as she walks to the mini fridge.

“No, she really needs to eat something, even if it’s just a smoothie.” Sam says softly, dropping the bag he was holding on the table.

“Okay.” Lilly says turning on her heel, not wanting to argue, knowing it had been about five days since she’s seen Mae eaten, and if Sam wanted to bite that bullet, more power to him. “So… now that I’m thinking about it… Did Mae eat while you two were at Bobby’s?”

“Yes, I mean, it wasn’t much the last two days because she was feeling sick, but Bobby made her eat.”

“Heard.” Lilly nods with a frown on her lips. “So how much you want to bet being trapped in a iron room was completely damaging to everything in her? Including things like digestion and constitution?”

“After seeing the way those shackles…” Sam stops for a moment, one hand gripping the back of a chair he had been passing as he moved over to Mae. “I’m thinking you’re right. Thoth did say that he wasn’t sure exactly what it was doing to her, but none of us were okay with tests at the time.” He rubs his free hand down his face, pausing for a moment as he pressed the heel of his palm to his lips.

“I feel like a dick.” Lilly places the cup on the table before walking over to the couch and plopping down, her head hitting the back of it.

“We didn’t know. She didn’t know, but I’m never letting that happen again.” Sam comments, feeling like his heart had been stabbed with ice. 

“Ignorance isn't innocence.” Lilly sighs as she pulls her knees to her chest and rests her head on them. “Great. Please make sure she drinks that...”

Sam nods, picking up her pencils and putting them back in the case. He gently moves her hand from her sketchbook, picking it up to move it as well before he stops. He looks at the very detailed sketch of a familiar looking angel in a trench coat. “She’s drawing Cass.”

“That’s not surprising…” Lilly comments with a small frown as she glances at the portrait of Castiel before placing her head back down. She wasn’t sure why she wasn’t convinced of the angel’s death. She just wasn’t. Was she in denial? Or being completely unrealistic because she hadn’t seen what the other’s had? She really wasn’t sure, she just knew something wasn’t sitting right with her about it, Castiel was… He was too close to them for his death to be this sudden. She’d always been aware when people close to her were going to pass, had been prepared for it. She just didn’t know how, and it bothered her. She was never this illogical, perhaps she just couldn’t handle another loss on their side.

“On top of everything else that…” Sam pauses and takes a deep breath. “She lost someone else she loves.” He shakes his head as he moves the book to the side.

“I think it’s more than that, losing her family is one thing. Losing the person that was the representation of your faith… That makes matters even more hard to deal with and complicated. Not to mention her own feelings of disappointment with herself and you’ve got yourself a cyclone of just pure awful.”

Sam tilts his head to the side before he nods in agreeance. “Yeah. He was the only angel she trusted. Wait, what do you mean she’s disappointed in herself?” He asks, looking over to the couch she was on.

Lilly picks her head up to stare at Sam blankly for a moment, her face contorting as she weighed her options; again. “She’s just disappointed with herself for reasons I’m having some difficulties understanding, with… Her Ariel impression.” She comments as she looks down at the ground and starts picking at the hem of her shirt.

Sam shakes his head. “Did she talk to you?”

“No.” Lilly comments at she looks up. “She wrote though.”

Sam looks around and notices the ball of paper lying on the floor near the waste bin. “But you don’t want to tell me?” He asks as he picks the small wad up.

“I didn’t say that. I just… It’s not really my business to tell.” Lilly shrugs.

“Uh huh.” Sam shakes his head as he smooths the paper out. He quickly reads over Mae’s handwriting before he looks back up to Lilly. “Lilith tortured her for information? And she’s worried about it?”

“Well, it’s not that I’m proud that I rock it to Black Parade or a song called Na Na Na, but I don’t think that I’m so pedantic as to be upset she told Lilith about it. Don’t get me wrong, I am pedantic, but-” Lilly begins only to get cut off.

“What? Who cares if you listened to that, I’ve listened to it.” Sam shakes his head as he pushes it away with a sweep of his hand. “She’s disappointed because she talked?” He asks directly as his voice strains with pain.

“I enjoy the box other’s put me in, thank you.” Lilly shrugs. “She is very upset with herself, she’s convinced that I wouldn’t have spoken, and so by that standard she somehow fucked up.” She looks over to her sleeping sister with a frown. “I tried explaining to her that wasn’t true… It’s still unclear to me, what she took from it though… I just know something made her cry.”

Sam takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “She… She’s probably going to be doing that for awhile.”

“Mae cries when she’s happy, so yeah, I would imagine a traumatic event might send her into multiple crying fits… It’s just what I was talking to her about that I’m concerned about. As you may have noticed we process information differently. It leads to a lot of… Miscommunication and poor interpretations when she’s actually contributing words…”

Sam lets out a half snort. “You’re still doing a better job than I am. I tried to talk to her while you and Dean were uh… Busy. She fell asleep on me crying.”

“Well crying is a good sign, for Mae atleast.” Lilly offers with a half hearted shrug as she looks back at her sister with a small frown. “She’s at least not numb… But that doesn’t mean she won’t. I s’pose it depends how we handle it. Right now she seems to be stuck on our opinions of her, she hasn’t really even mentioned anything Lilith has done to her in any capacity more than a general torture comment.”

Sam frowns. “She’s having nightmares about it. She was defending herself in her sleep.”

“I mean at least she’s dealing with it subconsciously then, because she really hasn’t seemed to move past the fact she thinks we’re all going to hate her for talking to Lilith-” Lilly pauses and holds her hand up. “Which I know is my fuck up, so let’s skip the lecture and skip to where we actually develop a productive plan of action.”

 

Sam holds his hands up in front of him defensively. “Deal.”

“I’m sure she’s having nightma-” Lilly pauses as she sits up straighter in her seat. Mae’s nightmares weren’t always to help her come to terms with the shit that happened to her. She’d had nightmares of each member of her family dying. Of Dean dying. Of John dying. Of Sam dying. It had become some type of horrific death omen. She frowns at her revelation. “It’s her nightmares. Mae didn’t have nightmares. That’s what feels wrong. She always has nightmares.” She adds as she looks over at her sleeping sister. Fairy powers were apparently one wide fucking spectrum. Apparently growing trees from seeds, reading people’s emotions, and fucking having nightmares of a family member’s death somehow all interconnected… Odd. “But she was in a iron room… And he’s an Angel… But there’s no way she didn’t consider him family.”

“I said she was having nightmares. What are you talking about?” Sam asks with a head tilt.

Lilly shakes her head. “What?” She turns to look at Sam.

“Mae’s nightmare’s feel weird to you?” Sam prompts.

“Not all of them.” Lilly comments with a frown. “She’s not usually prone to them though so I’ve found that they usually mean one of two things. She’s working through something internally… Or that someone close to her is going to die...”

“Are you talking about nightmares like she was having before Dean went to hell?” Sam asks, recalling the nights she would wake up screaming and crying as she called out for Dean.

“Yeah.” Lilly nods as she turns back to look at Mae with a frown on her lips. “She’s had them about everyone close to her that’s passed. Everytime. She even had nightmares that you were dead, when you weren’t dead, but actually were dead. You know, the hunger games backstab...”

“That’s horrible.” Sam frowns as he looks down at his sleeping girlfriend.

“Yeah… and I guess I kinda relyed on them...And now I feel like a sociopath.”

“Wha-why?” What was her possible reason for that thought this time?

“Cause I’m not mourning the angel. Can’t mourn, don’t feel like he’s dead.” Lilly admits as she scratches the back of her head. “Apparently unless Mae suffers first, I can’t accept someone's death. I’m sure that’s healthy.”

“You are the only one that didn’t see the mess the archangel made of him.” Sam points out.

“Guess that’s true…” Lilly agrees trailing off with a frown. “You’ll make sure she eats and sleep?”

Sam leans down and gently shakes Mae by her shoulder. “Of course, but what are you going to do?”

“Research and meditate.” Lilly responds with a shrug as she looks him over, noting the deep bags under his eyes. “You need sleep too by the way.”

“She’s sleepwalking again.” Sam warns, giving Mae another gentle shake. He’d woken up that morning before Dean had come back out with Mae pulling at the car door handle.

“So we’ll take shifts. I’ll take this one. I’ll hear if anything happens. You’re no good to anyone sleep deprived...” Lilly chides with a small frown.

“We’ll eat, then sleep. I promise.” Sam says with a smile, recognizing an older sibling voice when he heard one.

“See was that so hard?” Lilly smiles at him getting off the couch, grabbing their food, and opens the door to the conjoined room, walking into place their food on the table.

“Mae baby? I need you to wake up. We got something for you to try.” Sam says softly into her ear, rubbing his hands along her shoulders. He smiles when she moves drowsily.

Mae’s face scrunches up into a frown and she makes a noise of protest.

Sam shakes his head, understanding how tired she was. “Let’s go Baby.” He says, scooping her into his arms. He turns and walks towards the other room with her.

“Can I just leave the door open if you two are going to be sleeping?” Lilly asks.

“Probably a good idea, just incase. She’s getting better with locks in her sleep.”

“Awesome.” Lilly sighs before stepping away from the door. She turns and immediately goes to her bag from the new age shop, grabbing several things from it to set up a spot directly across from the open door. She lights up several incense sticks and settles into her meditation stance. She had much to think about.


	8. Chapter 6

18  

 

Lilly blows her bangs out of face in frustration, not sure why she was having such a difficult time focusing as she sorted the many things bothering her into files in her head, hoping to clear it. She missed her alter, her space, and the focus she was usually able to achieve there. She tries again, rolling her shoulders to loosen them before she closes her eyes once more.

 

She startles when she hears a very light knock at the door. She looks around the room; Dean was still sleeping. With a sigh as she walks over to answer the door, feeling confidant that a demon would not knock; nor would Angels for that matter.

 

“Lilly, it’s us.” She hears Thoth whisper from the other side of the door that leads to the hallway. With a small smile she opens it immediately, happy at the familiar sight of her god in pressed khakis and a blue polo with Maat right behind him in a stunning red sundress. They both looked severely out of place in the hotel’s hallway.

 

“Maat, Thoth.” Lilly greets as she lets them in.

 

Maat smiles at Lilly as she walks in, but it quickly disappears at the sight of the room. “Oh, Lilly. How do you deal with this?” She asks with one small hand pressed to her lips in concern.

 

Thoth silently snorts before he leans up against the closed door. “I’m sure she manages.” He rolls his eyes before adding, “Probably with loudly voiced complaints.”

 

“I think it’s… Well… I mean, what doesn’t kill you right?” Lilly smiles sheepishly as she scratches the back of her head.

 

Thoth nods with a slow smile. “What doesn’t kill  _ you  _ makes you more neurotic.”

 

“Ah, thanks Thoth.” Lilly comments with a roll of her eyes.

 

“Thoth.” Maat swats at him before she turns her attention back to Lilly. “Moving on. How are you doing?”

 

“I mean, I’m as good as I can be…” Lilly comments with a shrug. How was she supposed to answer that question? Strictly speaking, the last couple of weeks hasn’t been the worst she’d had, but she was still incredibly worried for Mae. A few words, that was all. Dean and Sam were, well handling things better than she was, and while she was still trying to help her sister, it wasn’t going well. She’d never been the best at comforting Mae in a crisis, but now she felt like every wrong step she took was a landmine for an unknown trigger. 

 

Maat looks Lilly in the eye. “I know this is difficult for you. Mostly because you are so worried for your family. You’re also in an uncomfortable, unfamiliar environment and unable to go home. I can not promise that things will get any easier, but I can promise that I will help you and your sister in any way I can.” She turns back to look over her shoulder at Thoth.

 

“Both of us.” Thoth adds with a single curt nod. 

 

Lilly looks between the two gods and shakes her head when she feels the tears burning her eyes. “Thank you.” She whispers softly. She clears her throat, shooting a look to Dean. “It’s only been a couple of days, but I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to get her to really talk with me while we hotel hop… It’s not stable, and I’m not sure she’s going to talk till she feels safe anyways… Any help on the matter would be greatly appreciated.”

 

Thoth brings one hand to his lips as he stares off in contemplation while Maat nods in understanding. “Not feeling safe will be a hindrance in her healing. But you have gotten her to talk to you?”

 

“Just twice.” Lilly sighs as she scratches the back of her head. “And it was a grand total of four words all together, I know this is going to take time…But, I’m worried. Lucifer is flapping around all free and shit and we’ve already run in with angels… I’m sure the demons are still on the lookout for us as well and every time I look around it looks like we’ve added another enemy. And then, by some fucking miracle, when we do end up killing the threat three more take its place. Like we’re fighting Hydra or something...Only we don’t have a S.H.E.I.L.D.” 

 

Maat tilts her head to the side in confusion before she looks back at Thoth.

 

“She’s making a reference to comic books dear. A great evil verses a great force of good.” Thoth quickly explains before he continues his contemplation.

 

“Ah, that explains why Bobby was in an eyepatch…” Maat comments with her lips pulled into a small smile.

 

Lilly shrugs sheepishly. “It’s a reference tool, to keep things organized.” 

 

Maat smiles as she shakes her head. “I see.”

 

“You do realise that I have her entire memory of the event correct?” Thoth asks suddenly.

 

“Yes, yes I do…” Lilly comments as she looks him over. “But they’re not mine, and I feel like we discussed this. That’s a large breach of privacy and trust.”

 

“But there is information that was shared with her, as well as the ability to understand what her… Landmines are. “Thoth points out bluntly before he continues in a softer tone. “I believe having this knowledge would be beneficial to you.”

 

Lilly bites her lip as she looks over her shoulder to the door that conjoined their rooms. “I should ask her…”

 

“I can do that.” Thoth offers before walking towards the other room. “You two can continue talking.”

 

Lilly opens her mouth to argue before thinking better of it and turning to Maat. 

 

Maat drops her gaze from her husband’s back disappearing through the door to Lilly staring back at her thoughtfully. “And if she says yes?”

 

“Well then we’ll have a place to atleast start. I think all of us have been at a bit of a loss on how to help...”

 

“Yes, but how would you like to see the memories?” Maat clarifies. “Read about them, be told what happened, watch them?” 

 

“Uh, whichever would offer me the best understanding I suppose…” Lilly comments as she tilts her head to the side to think about it.  

 

Maat nods thoughtfully. “I will warn you about Thoth’s books. They are an actual recounting of events. You will get pulled into them.”

 

Lilly blinks as she assimilates that information, quickly sussing out what that would mean to both her and her sister. She chewed her lip for a moment before she nods her head. “I understand.” She comments softly.

 

Moments later Thoth walks back into the room. “I got a nod. So I put her back to sleep and reinforced Sam’s… I believed it would be for the best, they both look, in your words, like shit.”

 

“Sounds right.” Lilly sighs, as she runs a hand through her hair. “Thank you.”

 

Thoth nods as he moves towards the bed Dean was on. “I’m going to make him sleep too, unless you have a problem with that.”

 

Lilly just shrugs, “I’m not going to question it. They’ve all barely slept… But she’s been sleepwalking… Is that going to affect that?”

 

Maat lifts an eyebrow. “We could stay to keep watch until you have all rested, just to be safe.” She offers easily.

 

Lilly turns to look at Maat, with a frown. “Are you sure?” 

 

Thoth reaches over Dean’s face for a moment before he turns back around and speaks in a normal tone. “Of course, you all look like proverbial hell. We can stand guard for the time it takes you to all recharge.”

 

“Ah, thanks Thoth.” Lilly comments with a wry grin, before she turns to Maat. “And thank you as well, I would certainly feel better without Mae wandering the halls aimlessly.” She adds as she looks between the two of them expectantly. She was as eager as she was anxious to know what had gotten her sister acting so broken. She wanted to finally be able to help her sister.

 

Thoth nods as he pulls a book from his robes and holds it out to Lilly. “Here, these are her memories.”

 

Lilly takes the book cautiously, her knuckle tight around its edges as she pulls it towards her. She sets her jaw, takes a deep breath and looks the blank surface over absently before she opens the cover. Her eyes try to quickly scan the page, but before she can make any sense of the words the whole world tilts and spins at a nauseating pace. Lilly looks up in confusion to find herself in a pink and white lace room. She watches the room spring to life around her, and though she can move she finds herself useless when it comes to interceding. She steps back and grits her teeth accepting the memories as they pour into her mind. She watches every depraved act Lilith committed against her sister, listens to every word. Her stomach rebelles with every passing moment; at every aching memory. Her sister’s fear and will to survive flows through her as she gains knowledge of the complete picture; finally understanding Mae’s reactions and behavior so much more acutely. She can’t help the tears that slide down her face, her stomach lurching as she watches Mae refuse to talk to Lilith before slowly succumbing to the torture and degradation. It was painfully heartbreaking to watch, to see her sister slowly give into the demands. She could see herself in her sister’s stead and guilt swells in her chest. Mae had gone through so much at her behest, when they’d both been so ignorant to the monster’s that went bump at the night. 

 

Lilly presses herself to the wall,  watching with horror as Lilith touched her sister, the way she bathed her, her stomach tying in knots as she continued living through every minute of her sister’s torment. She bites her lip as she holds her stomach tighter, growing angry at every one of Lilith’s accusations and lies. Her eye twitch at every shrill giggle. The way she mocked Mae with Sam being the one to bring upon the end. The vague threat of ‘Daddy’ whom the demonic cunt eventually confirmed as Lucifer. The images eventually fade to black, Sam’s black eyes haunting her while Mae’s shackled to the white marble altar. 

 

Lilly blinks as she is yanked back to reality, the open book still in her hand. Her too dark eyes stare at Maat for a moment before she thrusts the book at her and bolts to the bathroom, dropping to her knees in front of the toilet. In that moment two things were very clear to her. One, Lillith was completely fucking warped in every sense of the imagination. The second was that watching Mae go through torture was infinitely worse than any she’d ever experienced. Mae hadn’t deserved any of that. When her stomach was finally empty she reaches a shaky hand up and flushes the toilet before she walks to the sink. She cleans her face and rinses her mouth with some stupid listerine knock off. Sshe takes a deep breath, and does her best to start sorting the new information. 

 

Lilly let’s out her breath steadily before she washes her hands and dries them before walking back into the room to face Thoth and Maat.

 

“Lilly, are you feeling better?” Maat asks softly, holding a hand up to the girl’s flushed face.

 

“Uh, yeah...” Lilly nods slowly as she crosses her arms over her chest and shifts slightly. “It was helpful…” She admits as she looks to the door her sister was on the other side of.

 

Maat gives Lilly a sad smile. “I’m sorry. That was difficult even for us to see. ”

 

“Uh...Thank you?” Lilly responds rubbing her arm, already beginning to file away the useful information, and thinking of ways to help her sister. “Do either of you have any insight on what Lucifer wants with Mae?” She asks curiously as she looks between her two gods.

 

Maat and Thoth look at each other before they turn back to Lilly. “I’ve found nothing on why Lucifer would seek out Mae, however I have not ceased looking into it. I know only that Lilith taunted her with the information that Lucifer was going to be happy with her. I find the whole situation concerning given that the demons seem to be interested in Sam while the angels have their sights set on Dean. While Sam may have fulfilled his use to the demons, we still don’t know what the angels are planning for Dean.” 

 

Lilly nods her head in understanding as she chewed her bottom lip. “ I see… Alright, well if there is any way I can help in your research please let me know,” she shakes her head and snorts, “Because I don’t even know where to start.” 

 

Thoth nods somberly.

 

“I’m going to let you sleep now, and put a protection on these rooms. You all need the rest. This has been, taxing on all of you.” Maat assures Lilly as she attempts to guide Lilly to the bed with Dean already sleeping in it.

 

“Actually… I think I need to meditate. Lucifer is out and about anyways… And, I think I’d feel better staying up… Besides I need to process. I really do appreciate the help from the both of you, thank you.” Lilly says softly, as she looks up at Maat. She had witnessed a lot of information and was currently stuck on the one that caused her the most strife; she had influenced Mae in some of the worst ways possible. She had set up unrealistic expectations, had fed them to Mae for years. She chews her lip, how was she supposed to undo that? Where did one even begin? The next issue bothering her was exactly what Lilith had done to Mae. The psychological, mental, and most importantly the emotional effects. What had the crazed woman meant? Lilly really didn’t enjoy the implications, and she liked the unanswered questions even less. Where had Lillith even got the information about her? Ruby? Had Sam really shared that much about her to a demon? Did the demons know how involved her gods had gotten in this? Did the angels? And what the fuck did a fallen archangel want with her sister? What did the angel’s want with Dean? Were the demons still after Sam? After Mae? 

 

Maat looks for a moment like she might argue. She searches Lilly’s face for a long moment before her eyes tighten and she nods.“I understand that you need time to process this properly.” She drops her guiding hand from Lilly’s back. “But you need to know, Mae made her choices Lilly. You shouldn’t take that from her. This situation, no one could have seen it coming, and you all did the best you could.”

 

“I’m not trying to take anything from her. I just don’t feel like I gave her the best... Tools for that kind of situation.”

 

Thoth tilts his head to the side. “Would anyone have the right tools for that situation?”

 

“Dean.” Lilly responds quickly. “And probably Sam. And then Bobby obviously...”

 

Maat lifts an eyebrow at Lilly. “You might not fully understand why Bobby could deal with that, but let me ask you to think of the person that raised Dean and Sam, the person who gave them the tools to deal with this.”

 

Lilly’s silent for a moment as she thinks about it, she opens her mouth to respond, her eyes darting to Dean before she closes it and just nods. “Touche.” She breathes out defeated as she runs a hand through her hair.  _ John… Oh John.  _ She shakes her head.

 

Maat lets a small, remorseful smile break her stern expression. “Mae might not have wanted to talk, but she did. Just remember that. You seem upset that she tried to hold out, she’s upset because she gave in… Among other things.”  

 

“Right.” Lilly nods solemnly, as she thought over Maat’s concerns. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

 

“So, you go ahead and meditate. We’ll stay and watch over you.”

Lilly looks between the two gods and can’t help the grateful smile on her lips. “Thank you.” She nods before she goes to sit on the pillow and blanket she designated her meditation area. There were so many thoughts and theories whirling through her mind she just needed to start sorting them, to actually start somewhere useful. 

 

19

 

Dean was bent over a bunch of books, still coming to terms with the fact that the gods had spent all night watching over them while they slept. It was unsettling. They’d all been asleep and at the mercy of these old gods. Obviously they’d woken up, it just left him feeling confused. Maat’s reassuring words about Lilly had only added to that. Lilly was meditating over new information. What the hell did that mean? He shakes his head and lets out a sigh as he tries to read the pages in front of him again, for what felt like the fifth time. Once more the words together just weren’t making sense.

 

“Hey Dean, want to make a food run or should I? You look like you could use the break…” Sam comments as he looks over at his brother his brow wrinkled in concern. He’d been staring at the same page for the last thirty minutes. His eyes dart to where Lilly was tucked away in the corner, motionless, before looking back to Dean. He sighs in frustration before his eyes land on Mae. He wasn’t really sure what the next course of action was going to be. Where were they even supposed to start? Mae still wasn’t talking. Dean was completely spaced. Lilly for all intents and purposes wasn’t even present. Someone needed to lead, to make a decision, even if it was something as little as breakfast. He didn’t mind it being him.

 

Mae looks over at Dean and nods. Once more she felt useless. She couldn’t even feel Dean’s emotions. She just had to agree with Sam, it looked like Dean was stuck and a break would probably be helpful for him. Her hand twitches as she thinks about reaching out to pat his shoulder. With a small sigh she just looks to Dean with a frown on her lips.

 

Dean looks up to Sam before his eyes land on Mae. He shakes his head before he snaps his book closed. “Yeah, I got it. You’re right, I could use the break.” He stands from the table and stretches.

 

A small smile stretches across Sam’s lips as he watches Dean get up, before he turns to Mae. “Anything you want specifically baby?” He asks her softly.

 

Mae looks over to Sam before she casts her eyes down as she shakes her head.

 

Three purposeful knocks break the conversation, drawing the attention of Sam, Dean, and Mae.

 

Dean looks back to Sam. “Did you tell…” 

 

“No one.” Sam shakes his head as he stands from his chair and pulls his pistol from the back of his pants. Dean does the same in an almost eerie mirror like motion. 

 

Mae looks between Dean and Sam and walks over to Lilly; unsure if this was going to turn into a situation, but wanting Lilly ready incase it escalated. She quickly taps her on the shoulder. 

 

Lilly slowly opens one eye as she looks to Mae, a frown instantly pulling on her lips as she lifts an eyebrow at Mae in concern. 

 

Mae brings one finger to her frowning lips as she points to the door with the other hand.

 

Lilly looks around Mae, to Sam and Dean who were both staring at each other intently with their guns drawn, as if having some mind linked discussion as she let out a sigh as she stands. “If there’s been this much time since you’ve been alerted… Do you really think it’s a threat?” She asks them softly as she walks over and shakes her head and opens the door. Thoth had knocked last night, it might just be her gods stopping by once more.

 

Dean rolls his eyes as he moves to cover Lilly while Sam rushes to pull Mae further away from the door.

 

Lilly smiles at the blonde woman at the door careful that she was on top of the demon trap and safe behind the threshold. “Sup. Whattaya want?” She asks with a fake smile as she juts her hip.

 

“Lilly? Chuck didn’t say you were here.” The girl answers with a huge smile on her face. “Omg! You are so pretty.”

 

“Person I don’t know....Speaking foreign speak and creeping me out. Hi? Oh no…” Lilly’s face shifts to one of horror as understanding dawns on her. “You’re a fan...” Lilly states as she steps back slightly. Chuck had sent a fan, it was all over the woman’s face.  

 

The girl suddenly takes in a deep ragged breath and swings her hands out dramatically; in a movement so fast Lilly would have missed it if her face hadn't been smooshed into the door in the process. “Sss-Sam, is that really you?” She stutters, oblivious to the position she had put Lilly in.

 

Lilly growls as the woman releases the back of her head and walks into the room uninvited. Her eye twitches as she watches the fangirl closely; regretting that she opened the door.

 

Sam’s eyes go wide as the strange lady begins walking towards him. “Uh… uh, are you ok, lady?” He asks, backing away from her. He pulls Mae to him, worried when she stiffens in his arms as he guides her to stand behind him.

 

“Hey! Keep blondie from Mae.” Lilly snaps at the brothers, as she shuts the door behind her. This was turning out to be a scene in the making. The last thing Mae needed was a crazy blonde woman near her. 

 

Dean steps in front of his brother, protecting Mae from whatever it was Lilly had sensed with the girl.

 

“You’re Dean.” The blonde comments as she looks him up and down with disappointment.  “You’re not what I expected.” She comments, momentarily distracted from Sam.

 

“Insult one more of us, I swear to gods, it will be an all out cat fight in this bitch, lady.” Lilly comments snidely as she glares at the woman with a frown. 

 

“Insult you, no. I love the supernatural books. I’m your number one fan. I’ve even wrote a few…” She trails off into a fit of nervous giggles as she looks around the room in excitement.

 

“I swear to gods if you wrote The Family Business I will end you.” Lilly comments as she narrows her eyes at the girl in suspicion.

 

“What? No. So not my thing. John really isn’t on my list of favorite characters, but the girl that wrote it is a member of my web domain. I’m Becky Rosen!” Becky introduces with a wide smile as she turns back to Sam, from over Dean’s shoulder.

 

“Okay what can we do for you Becky Rosen?” Dean asks looking at the girl skeptically as he rolls his shoulders to let the slight against his dad pass.

 

“Sam, Chuck contacted me, he said I had to find you and deliver a message. He told me you would be here, and that it involves the Angels. Omg! Angels! That whole demon thing was getting old. But I’m happy you made it back from Hell Dean. And Sam, I’ve always wanted to meet you. I love you, so, so, so much.” Becky comments as her eyes glaze over slightly and she lifts her hand and tries to touch Sam, only to have her wrist caught by Dean. 

 

“Alright that does it, counting that as an insult.” Lilly snaps as she makes her way to Becky. The way she just brought up painful memories so arbitrarily was sending Lilly to her boiling point. She grabs the other woman’s shoulder, every intention of turning her around to punch her. She wanted to look her in the eyes, to let her know exactly who was throwing the punch.

 

“No Lilly, she has a message from Chuck. You can’t knock her out.” Dean barks as he drops Becky’s wrist and reaches for Lilly. He grabs her by the shoulders and forces her to looks at him.

 

“No. Fuck that, no message is worth this.” Lilly snaps as she struggles against Dean’s hold on her.

 

“Sam, you’re just as tall as I thought you’d be.” Becky comments, striding up to Sam and Mae.

 

“Dean!” Lilly snaps as she pushes him back towards the littles.

 

“Well, you’re a little ball of rage this morning aren’t you.” Dean defends as he releases Lilly and turns back to pull the other girl off his brother and the trembling Mae.

 

“You’re so firm.” Becky purrs as she fights to continue her tactile exploration of Sam.

 

“Dean, help!” Sam shouts out, as he twists away from Becky and scoops Mae into his arms before taking a few steps back. His eyes sweep over Mae in concern when he feels how hard she’s shaking. He instinctively holds her tighter he sees how delicate and fragile she seemed.

 

“Okay that’s enough touching.” Dean interrupts Becky as he wraps his arms around the woman's waist and pulls her away from the littles.

 

“But I wasn’t done.” Becky whines with a pout still reaching out to touch Sam.

 

“Chuck sent you with a message?” Dean prompts dragging the blonde to the other side of the room.

 

Sam turns and lays Mae on the bed Dean had been sleeping in. He quickly covers her with the blankets and stands near her protectively; not daring to let go of her hand.

 

Lilly glares as she takes in the room. Mae was in shock. Sam was uncomfortable. And Dean was struggling not to hurt a civilian by accident. She tries to calm herself, taking a few deep breaths before she walks over to Dean and Becky; doing her best to keep Mae out of her line of sight. There was nothing she could do about the giant. 

 

“Yes, the message, sorry. I just, I can’t believe you’re all real. That the whole thing is real. I’m just so, excited to meet you all.” Becky giggles again as she looks around the room in awe. 

 

“The message Becky, what did Chuck need to tell us?” Dean snaps with his dwindling patience. 

 

“Oh right I memorized every word perfectly, just for my Sam.” Becky says gleefully before she clears her throat, “The Michael sword and sheath are on earth, the angels lost them...””

 

Dean blink and thrusts his hands out in frustration. “Does he know where it is?”

 

“They’re in a castle, on a hill made of forty two dogs. I know it doesn’t make sense, but, that’s what he said. Word for word.” Becky swears as she looks at Dean intently.

 

“Great! Message received. Good bye.” Lilly comments darkly as she opens the door and indicates for Dean to push her out.

 

“But, there’s so much more I can do.” Becky pouts as she digs her feet into the old carpet and looks to Sam imploringly. “Sam, I’m the perfect girlfriend. I’ll never let you down! Call me, my number is in your pocket.” Dean finally shoves her out the door.

 

Lilly pulls her fist back with every intention of knocking the obnoxious girl’s lights out. She’s stopped as Dean snakes out his own hand out and stops her.

 

“Lilly!” Dean snaps with a disapproving frown as he pulls his girlfriend to him. He looks up and forces a smile on his face. “Thank you Becky, clearly, we have some research to do.” He pointedly explains as he continues to push the girl out of the room.

 

“I’m great at research!” Becky supplies happily.

 

“Awesome, can you hit up the library and look for any reference to a hill made of forty two dogs?” Dean throws out quickly, just wanting the woman to leave.

 

“Anything for the Winchesters.” Becky gushes, obviously thrilled as she brings up her hand to blow Sam a kiss.

 

“Aww, you're a peach. Thanks.” Dean comments over his growling girlfriend as he closes the door in her face. “Wow, what the hell was that?” He asks as he let’s Lilly go.

 

“That was a bitch bout to need braces, again.” Lilly growls angrily as she glares at the door.

 

“Ok, I’m taking Mae to our room, one of you should call Bobby and let him know we’re alive, we claim not it.” Sam says as he tenderly picks Mae up, letting the covers slide off her still stiff body as he curls her into his chest. “She’s gone, the whirlwind of terror is gone.” He assures her softly as he walks back to their room.

 

“Not it.” Lilly bites out, falling back onto the bed wishing Dean had just let her hit the fangirl. “And I would’ve called if I could’ve hit the fangirl, I would’ve signed the bruise, she would’ve cum a little. Everyone would have been happy.” She whines.

 

“If you call, I’ll do whatever you want to in the shower.”

 

“You’ll let me do whatever I want anyways...” Lilly pouts as she covers her eyes. “You stopped me from hitting her twice. You call.”

 

“Fine…” Dean grumbles as he pulls out his phone, quickly dialing Bobby’s number. He leaves a voicemail when the man doesn’t answer. “Done, shower?”

 

“Ugh… I’m just…” Lilly breathes out, as her bangs sway in her face. “It would have been so gratifying...“

 

“You can be angry and getting a shower with me. It can be angry shower sex.” Dean tempts, worried about how strange she was acting. Hot water, soap and sex were up there in her top favorite things. And this was all together.

 

Lilly huffs staring at the ceiling. “I just wanted to hit something blonde with boobs..” She frowns as she finds herself looking at the ceiling.

 

“Lilly, what’s going on? Mae was acting strange when she first got up too, and now this. Did something happen with Thoth and Maat? She wouldn’t talk, uh, write about it...”

 

Lilly sits up, leaning on her elbows as she looks at him. ”How angry can the sex be in the shower?”

 

Dean walks up to her, picking her up dead weight to the ceiling before slowly lowering her back down his chest, letting her wrap her legs around his waist. “Anything you want babe, just talk to me.”

 

Lilly looks down at him thoughtfully before she leans down and nips his ear. “After sex.” She concedes with a light growl.

 

“That’s my girl.” Dean says, roughly kissing her lips as he walks them into the bathroom.


	9. Chapter 7

.20.

Lilly sighs as she leans back in her seat and glares accusingly at Sam and Dean. She’d just spent the last hour and a half trying to explain everything that happened to Mae; they weren’t even letting her get out half sentences before they’d jump in with questions. 

“She thinks we’re going to be upset with her for talking to Lilith?” Sam asks with a frown as he looks towards the bed Mae was sleeping in.

“Wait, no. Lilith told her the devil, like the devil, was going to enjoy playing with her?” Dean demands with one hand gripping the arm of the chair as he stared at Lilly intently.

Lilly blinks at the brothers as she lets out a deep sigh. “Dean.” She turns to look at him. “Yes. In several ways. She was making the taunt very clear. For some reason Lillith is convinced Lucifer is going to want Mae. Thoth is looking into the why of it, assuming the threat had any credence, and I’m sure Bobby will add it to the top of his priority list. However it may have just been a way to play mind games and scare her into submission. Though, both Thoth and I agree that it was more than the insane cunt playing mind games.” She sighs as she runs her hand through her hair, her eyes darting to Mae before she looks back to the brothers. 

“Yeah well, just to be safe we’re gonna take it as a real threat.” Dean shakes his head. Lucifer was loose, and apparently wanted his sister, because why not? The angels wanted him and Lilly and the devil and his demons wanted Mae, maybe even Sam; nothing had changed, and yet everything had changed.

“Right.” Lilly nods in agreement before she looks to Sam and drops her eyes with a sigh. “When we were younger, before we knew about any of this crap existing. Before we knew there was something different about us. I used to constantly go off about staying loyal to your family. It wasn’t necessarily something I was trying to impart on her so much as tell myself, but I’m also sure there were a number of times I drilled it into her. Especially around her parents death. There were a lot of people trying to pull us apart at that time… And well. I may have given her the impression that it would be better to die than to betray your family members… So… I mean I wouldn’t be surprised to think that… And it also explains what she first said to me.” She admits softly as she scratches the back of her head, her eyes focused on the fabric of her ill fitting skirt; she needed to do laundry soon.

Dean slams his fist down on top of the table. “Dammit Lilly.”

Lilly jumps, alert as she looks from Dean’s fist the table to his face. “What?” She asks as she looks up at him with wide eyes.

“Is that really how the two of you feel? That you need to die instead of just…” Dean jumps up from the table and begins to pace. “I mean, yeah sure that’s how Sam and I feel, but we’re hunters. You two should never have gotten caught up in this shit.”

“To be fair we would have been caught up in it eventually… And most likely without you and Sam.” Lilly shrugs as she watches his movements. Dean was agitated; what had she said wrong?

Dean comes to a stop behind his vacated seat. He grips the backrest tightly. “Do you actually believe that you should die rather than give up information?”

“I think it’s a bit more complicated than that.” Lilly blinks at him, wishing Sam would add his two cents in; he’d been quiet since she’d answered his question.

“Okay, more complicated I can handle. Just to be clear about this, none of us are mad about her talking. None of us would be mad that she survived.” Dean says as he looks between Sam and Lilly for confirmation. 

Sam blinks as he nods his head. “No, of course not.”

“Maybe we should tell her that.” Lilly breathes out as she looks towards Mae with concern.

“We will, as soon as she wakes up.” Sam nods as his eyes settle on Mae again.

“And we’ll explain the difference between a death wish and surviving.” Dean grumbles as he pushes off the chair to pace again. 

“I feel like that’s a very gray area Dean.” Lilly adds with a slight frown. “However I agree with you. She shouldn’t shit all over herself for surviving such an impossible situation.” She quickly adds when she sees Dean’s jaw tense.

“You’re right, she shouldn’t. And neither should you.” Dean snaps at her.

“You know Dean, the same could be said for you too.” Sam points out slowly.

Lilly looks to Sam with a raised eyebrow, before she looks back to Dean, curious how he was going to take it. 

“Shut up Sam.” Dean rolls his eyes.

“Of course.” Lilly breathes out under her breath, as she rolls her eyes.

“No man, I mean it. You’ve been carrying all this guilt about breaking the first seal when you’re only human. You blame yourself for all of this, man. We all know it.” Sam argues as he frowns at his brother and crosses his arms over his chest, defiantly. 

Dean’s eyes avert to the ground before he just rolls his eyes. “Look, just let it go. I broke it, you broke it, we were fucking angel and demon pawns. We just need to get the fucking sword before the angels do so we can fix it. All while keeping Mae safe from the devil. So let’s just focus on that, huh.”

Sam’s frown deepens and his eyes narrow slightly as he weighs his options his eyes darting to Lilly for backup.

Lilly looks between Sam and Dean. “Do either of you know how to sword fight?” She asks, changing the subject completely. The last time she’d agreed with Sam her and Dean had gotten into a month long fight that had them sleeping in different rooms and no dick. She didn’t disagree with Sam. She just wasn’t about to confront Dean about his esteem issues, after Sam- or anyone- had brought it up. 

“I can use a baseball bat, close enough.” Dean nods as he comes back to the table.

“Bobby gave me a sword lesson once.” Sam offers.

“Heard.” Lilly comments with a shrug. “Maybe that should be something we talk about then. Cause, I’ve seen Firefly Dean- And I don’t think you’d fare better than Mal…”

“What do bugs have to do with this?” Dean asks as he looks Lilly over in confusion. 

Lilly looks absolutely affronted as she just let’s out a sniff of indignation. “You can’t use a sword as a bat. It takes finesse. Also Firefly is a cult classic. Educate yourself.” 

Sam quickly covers a laugh with a cough and his hand.

Lilly turns her glare to Sam. “And one lesson isn’t going to be good enough either behemoth. If the only weapon that can kill Lucifer is a sword, don’t you think one of you should medieval this shit?” She asks with her head tilted to the side. “And what type of arch angel loses his fucking blade, by the way? You’d think that would be like standard wand status. Stays at your side and shit… You think he’d be able to sniff that shit out.” She adds as she crosses her arms over her chest.

Sam and Dean both shrug.

“It is a little weird.” Sam concedes. 

“This whole situation is weird. Angels need to possess humans and fight it out with swords that they lost and oh yeah, demons were working with the angels to get the end of the world going. What part seems normal?”

“Well, I mean… Where are we basing our standard?” Lilly asks with a contemplative look.

Dean glares at her.

“So we don’t have one, got it.” Lilly shakes her head with a sigh.

Sam lifts an eyebrow at Lilly’s assessment but then notices movement out of the corner of his eye. He turns to the bed just in time to see Mae stand. “Hey baby. You feeling better?” He asks as he stands and walks towards her.

Lilly turns to look over at Mae curiously, along with Dean. She notices the way her sister was slightly swaying and the fact she didn’t acknowledge Sam. “She’s sleepwalking.” She comments with a frown as she pushes up from the table, her eyes following her sister carefully.

“That means she’s like, working on this right?” Dean asks as he watches Mae bump into Sam.

“Usually.” Lilly nods as she walks over to lean to the wall closer where Mae was, watching her sister carefully. 

“I think I’m going to get her back in our room for now, maybe we got too loud.”

“Aren’t you curious to see what she’ll do?” Lilly asks with her head tilted to the side.

“Does she do things?” Dean asks with a slight head tilt. “I thought sleepwalking was just sleepwalking.”

“Yeah. Sometimes she’ll eat or drink. Sometimes she’ll try to leave. It’s a form of PTSD. It’s a coping mechanism… I feel like we’ve talked about this…” Lilly comments as she crosses her arms over her chest. 

“I mean, you said she was trying to get out to the greenhouse last time.” Dean says absently as he watches Mae move around the room slowly, Sam following behind her carefully.

“Yeah, it’s what she needed to care for herself on a subconscious level.” Lilly nods as she watches Mae carefully, noting the way Mae seemed to avoid any tripping hazards with a frown. That was new, even in her room she would have stumbled over something by now. Her eyes narrow as she watches Mae stumble but eventually opens a cabinet.

“I guess she was thirsty.” Sam shrugs as Mae fills a glass with water at the kitchenette sink.

“Yeah, I guess.” Lilly murmurs with her brows drawn together and a thoughtful pout on her lips. Mae was executing these actions better than she’d ever seen… Why was that? It wasn’t like she was going to complain about it, but it did bring cause for concern. Was it the fact her mark was healed? Because she’d gotten her soul in proper order? She chews her bottom lip. This would have avoided a lot of stitches; she was more graceful in her damn sleep.

“Right. I’m guiding her back to our room. Just uh, let me know when Bobby gets here.”

Dean nods his head as he keeps his eyes on Mae. “Make sure all the locks are up.” He cautions Sam, now worried Mae was just going to waltz out of the hotel room if left alone.

Sam nods as he slowly takes the empty glass from Mae and starts leading her to the other room. “Right.” They were going to have to find a safe house or something, and soon. He just wanted to add locks to everything until he was sure Mae was better, and safe.

Lilly runs her hand through her hair as she watches Sam guide Mae. She takes a deep breath and shakes her head. “So a castle on a hill of forty two dogs?” She asks as she looks over to Dean. “In America?” 

Dean lets his chin drop to his chest. “It could be anywhere.”

“Awesome. Well that narrows that down.” Lilly breathes out as she pushes off the wall and walks over to the stack of books. “I call books.” She chirps cheerfully as she sits down next to the pile and picks the first one up.

Dean and Lilly sit in a comfortable silence, reading worthless books that mentioned nothing about hills made of dogs for a long time. 

“You, know… Are we sure it’s literal? Maybe it’s figurative…” Lilly comments as she shuts the latest book. It wasn’t like there was just a map of supernatural locations… Could she scry for it? Would she be able to? It seemed like it would be easier to scry for a location than it would be for their laughable stack of books and the fucking internet. She facepalmes and shakes her head; even if she had the right ritual she still wouldn’t have the ingredients. Besides, since when has magic ever been her first go to on anything? Was this progress? Or was this a back step? Wasn’t it bad enough Thoth was going to be teaching her defensive rituals? She curses under her breath.

“I have no idea. Like zero. I’m not even sure the Michael sword is a real thing. And even if it is, can we really use it to kill the devil?” Dean lets out a frustrated sigh. “I need a break. We’re probably not going to get anywhere until Bobby gets here anyways.”

“Fair.” Lilly comments as she picks up the next book her eyebrow raising when she notes it’s a bible. With a defeated sigh she opens it and starts reading.

Dean shakes his head and gets up to go get a drink when there’s a loud knock at the door. “Hey, speak of the devil right?” He snorts at his own joke.

Lilly lets out a sigh of disappointment. “Cute. But thank gods, he might have useful books.” She chirps as she puts down the bible, as she stands up.

Sam walks into the room as Dean opens the door for Bobby. “Hey man, glad you made it-”

“We ain’t got time for congratulating, we gotta move.” Bobby interrupts. 

Lilly looks up to the door with a frown her head tilting to the side.

“What? Why?” Sam asks with concern, as Dean turns to go start packing.

“Why do you think idgit? I ain’t got time to explain this, just grab yer shit and let's get gone.” Bobby snaps as he rolls his eyes and backs away from the door to look around in the hallway as Sam turns to get Mae.

Lilly rolls her eyes. “If yer gonna bark orders ya can atleast help.” She comments with an eyeroll, putting one hand on her hip.

“Or ya can just hurry the fuck up while I watch the halls.”

“You came to where Mae was sleeping while you were being tailed?” Lilly asks skeptically.

“No. I wasn’t being tailed. They’ve been here ya idjit, I caught on to ‘em. We got to go, why are you wasting time?”

“Lilly come on dammit, just get your shit together.” Dean barks.

Lilly blinks at Dean, and begins to slowly organise the books so she can pack them. Something felt wrong. Even if Bobby had gotten a tip off would he really have shown up here? And if there were angels and demons, what could possibly be their end game.

“Did you figure out what the prophet meant? Or have ya’ll just been sitting on yer asses playin’ tiddlywinks?” Bobby snaps at them.

Lilly tilts her head to the side, and looks up and over at Bobby with a raised eyebrow.

“Dude, we’ve been dealing with the shit Lilith did to Mae and trying to figure Chuck’s cryptic ass message out.”

“If it’s such an emergency why are we grabbing our stuff?” Lilly asks curiously.

“By all means, leave your shit behind. Just make sure it won’t give anything else away to the damned demons.”

“You don’t even wanna get Mae down to the car? You wanna wait for the rest of us?” Lilly questions with a raised eyebrow.

“Sure, get her and I’ll get her in the car.” Bobby rolls his eyes.

Lilly stands up straight and walks to the door where Bobby is standing, and grabs his wrist. “Damn it, bitchy- We’re all sleep deprived get yer ass in there and get Mae.”

Bobby wrenches his arm back and steps away from Lilly. “Will you idjits just hurry and get out here, we have to find a new place to set up shop. Far as I can see, yer the only one slowing us down.”

Lilly looks around the quiet hallway before she looks up at Bobby her brows drawn together. Her eyes narrow when she meets his eyes. They were completely void of any warmth as he snarled at her. Ice filles her veins as she stares at unfamiliar gaze. She backed away as if she’d been hit, as she let out a litany of curses in several languages, Mae and Bobby’s name coming up more than once as she quickly weighs her options.

“What the hell is wrong Lilly? What are you even saying?” Dean snaps from somewhere behind her.

Lilly doesn’t take her eyes off of Bobby, before she quickly spits out another slur towards the entire situation, as she makes her decision and punches Bobby as hard as she grabs Bobby’s shirt and knees him as hard as she can in the balls. “Sorry ol’ man.”

“Goddamn son of a whore bitch. What the fuck is yer problem?” Bobby growls as he bends.

Lilly winces as she jumps on his back and wraps around him tightly before she starts spitting out the exorcism, and locked her ankles around his waist. The fucker was not running off with Bobby.

“Lilly!!” She hears the guys yell behind her.

Lilly doesn’t comment as she struggles, coughing out the next line in the exorcism while the demon slammed her into the wall in attempt to dislodge her. After a few failed attempts he grabs one of her calves and squeeze, pulling one hand up and the other down, with an audible crack. Her arms loosen around his neck as she lets out a slew of curses before tightening her grip to the point she was choking him. She hisses out the next verse of the exercercism with vehemence, resisting the urge to bite Bobby. 

Dean, Sam, and Mae rush to the hallway and stop short at the sight of Lilly wrestling with Bobby. 

Dean recovers first and pins Bobby to the wall as Sam races to help Lilly once he notices her leg was hanging limply at Bobby’s side while the rest of her was fighting to stay on his back.

Mae can’t think as she runs down the hallway without looking back, fear and adrenaline clouding her mind. The demons had gotten Bobby. Was this somehow her fault? Was it a piece of information she gave? She needed to get away. She was going to be sick. 

Dean curses as he sees a group of people coming down the hall before they quickly turn and run down an adjacent hall, perhaps oblivious or just choosing not to interfere. He let’s out a sigh of relief as Lilly gets out the last of the exorcism. 

Bobby’s whole body jerks back as smoke pours out of his mouth. Dean quickly pulls Bobby into their hotel room as Sam scoops Lilly into his arms.

Lilly screws her eyes up in concentration as she takes a deep breath, knowing better than to look at her leg. She really didn’t want to confirm what may have just happened. It hurt. Her stomach was turning. But hey, Bobby was demon free, and not bait so it was a win. She takes another deep breath, and lets it out slowly before she opens her eyes. She looks between Sam, Dean, and Bobby.

“Jesus Bobby, are you okay?” Sam asks as he kicks the door closed and rushes over to lay Lilly carefully on the bed. He was pretty sure the demon had broken her leg. “How are you doing?”

“Jits...” Bobby coughs as he slumps back against the wall.

“Mae?” Lilly calls out nervously, ignoring Sam’s question. “Guys, where’s Mae?” She asks as she looks between Sam and Dean.

“Did she go into the hall? I don’t-” Sam begins only to shut his mouth as he notices it was just the four of them in the room. “Probably in the other room.” He corrects himself. “I’ll go check. Dean, look at Lilly’s leg.” 

“I’m sorry where’s Mae?” Bobby asks as he pushes himself off the wall, rubbing at his head as he went to go help Sam look for her.

“Let’s get a look at your leg gimpy.” Dean chuckles nervously as he walks over to the bed.

Lilly frowns at him as she looks around the room. “Or you can go help find Mae. Which would be more useful at the moment.”

Dean gives her a stern look. “Look, we can argue or I can look at your leg, boss you around and then go find Mae. Your choice.”

Lilly rolls her eye while she lays back on the bed still not wanting to look at it. In this particular case, ignorance was bliss and endorphins. She brings her hand up to her eyes and rubs them. 

Dean slowly peels her skirt back. “Yep. That’s broken. Shit.” He looks Lilly over in concern. Was she in shock? Was that why she wasn’t screaming in agonizing pain? She didn’t look like she was in shock.

“Great.” Lilly breathes out in defeat, as she pulls her hand through her hair. “Like poking out of skin broke? Or just chillin’ out and contained broken? I don’t feel blood... So, where we at?”

“It’s not bleeding. You’re all still nice and intact. It’s just definitely broken.” Dean lets out a whistle. “Like the big bone is broken.”

Lilly let’s out a deep breath. “Fan-fucking-tastic.” She facepalms.

“You are taking this really well.”

“Yep. That’s going to wear off eventually…” Lilly admits with a shrug.

“FUCK!” They both hear Sam yell.

Lilly’s eyes fly open as she sits up, and looks around in concern as a stone drops into her stomach.

Sam and Bobby rush back into the room and begin searching the bathroom, closet and under the beds. 

“Fuck, she’s not in here.” Sam finally admits with a look of terror on his face as he runs his hands through his hair.

Lilly takes a deep breath and moves to sit on the side of the bed. “Well we need to go find her, then.” She states as she goes to stand up, only to have Dean push her back down. 

“Hi, remember the broken leg. You’re gonna have to stay here.” Dean snaps at her. “Do you want it to break skin?”

“I’ll stay with her and get started on her leg, you and Sam get going and we’ll let you know if she comes back.” Bobby offers as he pulls a chair over next to the bed.

“Or the three of you can go find my damned sister.” Lilly snaps.

Sam and Dean ignore her as they rush out of the room.

“And just how are you suppose to let her back in if you can’t move? Gidjit.” 

Lilly rolls her eyes. “I really don’t feel like I need legs to get to the door.” She sniffs indignantly. 

“And I’m surprised I’m walking around after getting jumped by a goddamned demon and wrestling with you. So let me catch my breath and patch you up. We’re no use to Mae the way we are right now. Pretty sure we’re both running on adrenaline.” Bobby points out bitterly. 

Lilly looks over at Bobby with a raised eyebrow, but stays silent. 

21

Dean opens the door thirty minutes later. “Did she come back?” He asks hopefully as he set the first aid kit he’d pulled from Bobby’s car on the table.

“No.” Bobby snaps as he grabs the kit from the table. “I texted for the kit, not because I had ‘em both in here.”

“I can’t find anything to suggest she left the building.” Dean admits as he rubs his neck. “I was hoping.” He sighs as he looks down at a pale Lilly with concern.

“She fainted when I reset it.” Bobby explains as he lays out supplies.

“Fuckin’ christ.” Dean breathes out. “I’m going back out to look for Mae.” He comments as he turns to head out the door.

“Call your brother, compare notes and divide the rest up. If you think she’s still in the building then she’s probably still in the building.”

Dean stops and pulls out his phone, calling Sam. Bobby made a good point. Dean quickly catches Sam up. “So, where have you been looking?”

“I went to the park across the street and started there.”

“No luck then? Fuck. I’m not even sure she left the hotel Sammy. We’re not even sure what state of mind she was in when she left. We should do a sweep of the hotel.”

“If you think she’s in the building still why don’t I head back and we can search floor by floor. You start in the basement?”

“Right. We’ll meet in the middle. Luck Sam.” Dean states before he ends the conversation. “Call if she gets back.” He tells Bobby.

“Same for you and Sam ya hear me?” Bobby threatens.

“Of course.” Dean nods before he quickly heads back out to find Mae.

22.

“Elizabeth, you are distressed. What is the problem?” Castiel asks, slowly walking closer to the sobbing girl on the roof in concern. It had taken him days to find a member of the family he was looking after. He was equal parts worried and relieved when he’d finally felt Mae’s signature. 

Mae tightens up into a tighter ball, her tears increasing as she realizes just how much Castiel had really meant to her. Why not his voice when she finally lost it. He had represented the very last of her faith.

“You think you are insane? Is that why you are distressed?” Castiel asks as he crouches down and pats the young woman on the arm. He flinches as she screams and curls into a tighter ball. Unsure what to do, and worried he’d upset her more, he puts her to sleep. He lays one hand against her chest as he marks her ribs with enochian sigils to keep her blocked from anyone else hunting for her. 

Castiel frowns as he looks around the abandoned roof before he picks her up bridal style. Was she here alone? He couldn’t feel the others. He walks to a nearby wall and slides his back down it until he’s sitting, holding her close to him as he lays a hand to her forehead; he freezes as her memories hit him. He pulls his hand away, uneasy with how traumatized she was. He quickly understands the problem, her reaction to him, and the state he found her in. He frowns as his brow pulls together in anger; confused as to why she was alone on the rooftop of some hotel. He hadn’t been able to see the more recent memories without searching deeper and he wasn’t sure if that would be a good idea in her state. 

Castiel sits there for a good amount of time, trying to figure out what to do, before he settles on waking her up. He wanted to talk to her, convince her that he was indeed alive, and not a hallucination. He takes them to a national park, figuring she’d feel better waking in the woods. He lays her in the grass before waking her, but takes several steps back to give her space. He begins pacing, feeling anger on the young girl’s behalf. Anger at what some of his siblings had decided to do, and anger with himself for not seeing it sooner. He wasn’t sure why he had been brought back, but he knew it had something to do with the bond he had with this odd human family he found himself emulating. 

Mae opens her eyes to tree tops swaying gently above her in the darkness. The light from the waning full moon barely making it to the forest floor. She sits up and looks around in confusion, trying to figure out where she was, and what was happening now. The sadness, guilt and anger at herself dimming in light of the fear and panic beginning to settle in her chest. Movement catches her eyes and she turns with a sharp intake of breath to find the last person she ever expected to see. Her eyes widen in disbelief. 

“Elizabeth.” Castiel states alerting Mae’s wakefulness and cautiously walks over to her and offers her his hand, with a small smile on his face.

She stares at his hand, shocked. “But...” She whispers breathlessly. 

“I believe my father saved me, just like he saved the five of you.” Castiel supplies with a reassuring smile. “I’ve been looking for all of you, to warn you.”

“You’re alive?” Mae continues to whisper as she slowly reaches for his hand; afraid she was dreaming.

“Yes. I do not know why, but my father saved me.” Castiel nods his head, watching her carefully as she extends her shaking hand to his. He takes her hand and carefully helps her to her feet, keeping ahold of her hand.

Mae looks down to her hand, looking for any sign this wasn’t real. She looks up into his eyes, her other hand coming up to touch his shoulder. “Real.” She says shakily, surprised and relieved.

“Yes. I brought you here, I was hoping it might help to clear your head. I’ve found out more-” Castiel pauses as Mae throws her arms around him and squeezes tightly. “You are hugging me. I am not upset.” He tells her, as he looks down at her in confusion even as he brings up an arm to hug her back.

Mae squeezes Castiel tighter. It was just so him. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed him. “I thought you were gone, forever.” Mae whispers softly, though her voice was growing stronger even as tears blur her vision before trailing down her cheeks. She presses her face into his jacket as she holds him tightly. She’d seen Chuck’s house; had seen the carnage of Castiel’s remains. It had removed her last glimmer of hope that things would be able to return to normal. She thought for certain she’d lost another important person to her. Thought she was also cursed. She couldn’t help the laughter that pours from her lips as she holds Castiel to her tighter, as if gripping a lifeline.

“Well, now I’m back. I’ve been searching for you, and your family. As are all the Angels. Demons too.” He informs her, frowning at her tears. “You are crying again.” He tells her as he wipes her tears away.

“I’m so happy... You’re alive Cass. I can't believe it.” Mae admits as she grips his trench coat, her eyes meeting his in childlike amazement. He was real. He was alive. Somehow they’d all made it alive through everything that happened in that convent; against all odds. Castiel believed it was God.

“You're crying because your happy?” Castiel questions with his brows drawn together, not sensing any untruths in her statement. “I’m glad you’re happy, even though I am not sure why you are crying.” He finally tells her, though still confused.

Mae suddenly backs away a half step, “We didn’t stop it.” She admits sadly, looking into his eyes.

“I know. It was… Some of my sibling were working towards freeing Lucifer, with the demons.” Castiel admits with a frown, his arms dropping to his side.

“He’s out. Wait. Why are the angels looking for us?” Mae still can’t bring herself to release him.

“They want Dean and Lilly.” Castiel admits with a frown. “It’s what I needed to warn you about.”

“Like Lilli-” Mae shudders, her arms wrapping around herself as she recalls Lilith telling her that Daddy had plans for her and Sam. “The demons, like they want me and Sam? The angels want Dean and Lilly?” She asks with a concerned frown.

“Exactly like that. Dean and Sam are The Vessels.” Castiel informs her with a solemn nod, monitoring Mae’s reaction carefully.

“What? They’re both vessels? I don’t understand, or maybe I can’t understand.” Mae looks around the dark forest, starting to wonder where she is.

“Dean and Sam are vessels to Michael and Lucifer. That’s why I’ve been looking for you four. I wanted to let you know. It is a...concern.” Castiel admits with a concerned frown as he looks off in a direction intently, getting lost in his own thoughts for a moment.

Mae can’t help but smile in agreement. “Yes, it’s a concern.” She shakes her head, hugging him suddenly again, his arms wrap back around her, quicker on the draw this time. Glad to have something good happen, and something pleasant to think about. Happy for the moment she didn’t have to deal with her family looking at he strangely. She shivers against him at the thought of having to face that eventually. 

“Do you know where they are? The others, Zachariah mainly, has laid a trap for them through Chuck.” Castiel asks Mae with concern.

“We were all together at the hotel. I’m surprised you found me though. We all have hex-” She pats her pocket, finding it empty. “Uh, I lost mine. Wait, what message from Chuck?”

“I am glad I found you first then. You are not my siblings main target, but they would happily take you to Lucifer, in hopes of Sam following. And Dean and Lilly of course.”

Mae stiffens in his arms, gripping him tighter. “We have to warn them.” 

“That’s what I’ve been trying to do." Castiel pauses for a moment, a frown etched into his lip. "I marked you while you were asleep. It will keep the angel’s from finding you. I would have asked first, but I was worried your distress would draw attention.” He admits, with no apology. 

“Thank you.” Mae says, drawing in a breath. 

“Demons will still be able to find you, but you’ll at least be invisible to Angels, I am sorry I can not do more.” Castiel admits with a frown.

“But won’t that keep you from finding me?” Mae asks, tilting her head to the side.

“Unfortunately yes. I still have the gift from Lilly.” Castiel informs her as he pulls out his beat up flip phone. “And if you pray to me and let me know where you are I will be able to come to you. It is merely less efficient.”

Mae smiles. “We’ll figure it out. Obviously God thinks we’re doing something right. Or you’re doing something right, at least.”

“I hope we are.” Castiel comments somberly. “We should go back to the others. I am sure they are worried about you.” 

“Uh, yes. I uh, kinda ran away. But they should be back at the hotel, where you found me…” Mae says slowly.

Castiel nods in understanding, before the two of them end up back on the roof of the hotel. His grip tightens on her to make sure she didn’t fall from the travel. 

Mae lets out a deep sigh. She was not going to enjoy explaining why she had run. “They’re in room four-fifteen.” She says quickly, not able to face them yet even though she knew they needed to be warned.

“I’m not leaving you alone Elizabeth.” Castiel states, leaving no room for argument. “And I know the others must be concerned with your absence.” He adds, looking down at her in contemplation for a moment. “Would you like me to take the memories? Or put a wall up for you? I saw them when I put you to sleep. Though I do not think anyone is mad at you Elizabeth, it is understandable that what transpired is haunting you...” He offers after a short pause.

Mae stares at him blankly for a moment. “You saw?” 

“Yes… You were incredibly distressed and were drawing back from me… So I looked to see what the problem was. I am not sorry.” Castiel states as he looks down at her seriously. “I am sorry, however, for what was done to you. Lilith was an incredibly twisted creature.”

Mae struggles to maintain her normal breathing, not wanting to break down again. She tries to quickly sort through her feelings, not sure how she felt about Castiel knowing too.

“You are distressed. You were distressed by your family knowing too. They... We should know. What was done to you was depraved, and I am sorry I could not help you. I am sure your family feels the same way.” Castiel says looking down in something akin to shame. 

“No, I uh. No, don’t be sad. There was nothing anyone could do. I-” Mae drops her head, turning away to hide the guilt she felt, ashamed that she couldn’t just deal with this herself, that her whole family now knew exactly what had been done to her, and that she had given into Lilith.

“I am still not happy it occurred. It is not your fault.” Castiel states sternly as he pulls the young girl back to him in a hug, not sure what else to do. “It is not your fault. Lilith was a demon, the first demon. The first human twisted by Lucifer into becoming the the thing did those acts to you. No one is at fault but her. She is a true monster, but there is nothing to feel guilty or ashamed of.” He tells her. 

Mae shakes her head against his chest, “I’m sorry. I just- I just.” Her voice breaks with the raw emotions she was feeling.

“There is nothing to apologize for.” Castiel states firmly, his arms tightening around her, unsure of how else to comfort a distressed Mae.

Mae stands there in his arms for a long moment, happy for the comfort, but the feeling of dread for her family pulls her back to reality. She wipes her hands across her face before looking up into his eye. “Thank you.”

“You are most welcome Elizabeth.” Castiel smiles down at her.


	10. Chapter 8

23.

Sam opens the door to the roof and begins his sweep, stopping in disbelief when he sees Mae standing with Castiel. His jaw drops, and he finds himself staring in shock. After a long moment he shakes his head and runs over to them. “Mae! Thank god you're safe. And Cass!” He pulls Mae into a hug, looking over her at Castiel in amazement. “Dude, we thought you were dead.” He states.

“Yes, I am alive. I kept Mae from harm, and I need to speak with all of you. It’s urgent.” Castiel greets with a small comforting smile and a curt nod. 

“Uh, okay… Thanks?” Sam nods as he pulls Mae to him closer. Castiel certainly had a way to make an entrance. He looks down at Mae and smiles. “Glad to see you’re okay, babe. You had us worried.”

“I’m sorry.” Mae shakes her head before she presses her face to his chest.

Sam’s eyes widen slightly in surprise as he leans down, kissing the top of her head. She was finally talking to him. He couldn’t help the relief that spread through him at the sound of her voice. Today was going surprisingly well. Castiel came back from the dead. Mae was speaking again. Bobby was surprisingly unharmed for a man who’d been possessed. “It’s okay baby. You’re safe, that’s all that matters. You even managed to find Cass.” He adds with a grin. 

“He found me. I think I lost my hex bag.” Mae says softly as she peeks up at him.

“Yeah, I found it on the stairwell, ‘bout gave me a heart attack.” Sam admits as he kisses the top of her head again. 

“Speaking of that.” Castiel comments as he steps forward and puts his hand on Sam’s back. “It is good to see you Sam.” He states as he burns the enochian sigils into the younger Winchester’s chest. “These work better for avoiding angels.” He states.

Sam let’s out a hiss of pain. He pulls Mae to him protectively as he turns to look at the angel. “What the fuck Cass, a little warning would be nice.” He breathes out.

“I did say speaking of that.” Castiel points out.

“What, no. That’s not even…” Sam sighs, defeated, and lets out a wry chuckle. “Right. Great having you back.”

“We should get to Dean and Lilly. I have very disturbing news.”

“Actually, I think me and Mae are gonna take a minute to talk. Dean will be happy to see you.” Sam smiles, hoping Castiel could heal Lilly’s leg before Mae had to see it. 

“So will Lilly.” Mae adds.

Castiel nods before he disappears from the roof.

“I love you.” Sam whispers softly against Mae’s temple as he hugs her closer to him. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get to you quicker.” He admits with a kiss, before he leans back. His eyes lowering to the dirty roof. " I’m sorry I failed you.”

“You didn’t.” Mae squeezes him tightly, her breath catching in her throat.

“I did.” Sam denies with a shake of his head as he looks her over. His eyes sweeping over her pale skin and dark circles under her eyes. “If I had fought harder, they never would have gotten you, and I fell right into it. I ended the world, and would again and again, if it meant getting you away from the crazy bitch.” He states with conviction before he shakes his head as he calms himself. “We’ll fix it. Together. I know we will.” He adds just as firmly, albeit his tone much lighter.

Mae shivers at the thought of Lilith before she firmly shoves the images away. “I love you Sam.” She whispers before she buries her face into his chest.

“I love you too Mae, your amazing, and I don’t deserve you- But I’m so fucking glad I have you.” Sam responds as he gathers her to him in a tight hug. “And that you're safe.” He kisses her forehead. “We’ll wade through the rest.” He whispers against her temple.

“I’m sorry. I messed up.” Mae breathes out in relief. 

“Mae, we’ve all messed up.” Sam kisses her forehead, chuckling darkly. His eyes sweeping over her with a small frown. “Lilly, Lilly mentioned that you were feeling… That you were blaming yourself, over what happened. You know that, it, that what happened, what you did. It was the right call to make Mae.” He comments as he holds her jaw gently, making sure she was listening. “I’m not mad at you Mae. I’d never be mad at you for surviving.”

Mae tenses in his arms and tries to turn her head but Sam holds her still. “I, I still feel disgusting. For everything.”

“Mae.” Sam breathes out as he let’s go of her jaw and hugs her closer. “You’re not disgusting baby. You’re not. I’m sorry that even got put in your head. God only knows what that bitch would have done to you if you’d continued fighting. You were in an impossible situation baby. One you should've never had to be in, and you did an amazing job at keeping yourself alive. You’re my survivor and I love you so much for persevering through this shit.”

Mae slowly pulls back to look up at him as he looks down at her, love and concern shining in his hazel orbs. “Well, you’re my hero. And I love you too.”

“Some hero.” Sam snorts before he kisses her forehead again. He had not realized how much he had missed the sound of her voice, but it was like music to his ears. He’d been so afraid she was disappointed with him. He really didn’t deserve her. 

Mae lets out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, happy to know that he at least wasn’t looking at her differently. “Sorry I ran. I just- Bobby was a demon and I thought it was my fault and I panicked.”

“It’s okay baby, I get it. I wasn’t expecting a demon to have gotten him-” Sam pauses as his eyes sweep over her. “No baby, no. It’s just a hazard of the job. I’ve even been possessed. It just happens. You had nothing to do with it baby. It’s just- Well none of us are perfect. Our guards go down for a second and-” He shakes his head. “It’s not your fault baby.” He states firmly, keeping her gaze. This was serious, shit like possession was always a threat to them. Always had been. Sure the tattoos were convenient, but as they’d found with Lilly- They weren’t fool-proof. Mae couldn’t possibly take that shit on. She’d become like Dean.

Mae tilts her head to the side and watches him for a moment. She knew it was a hazard, Bobby had drilled that into her often while he was training her. But even the possibility that what she could have been used to get the drop on Bobby hurt. She lets out a sigh as she nods. “It hurts, but I guess we’ll never know if she even told anyone else.” She reasons carefully.

Sam smiles as he lets out a sigh of relief. It was progress. “It doesn’t matter. Whether they used the information or not, they were going to try that shit eventually. We were lucky this time, no-lasting damage was done. No one got killed.” He adds softly, not wanting to lie to her. 

Mae smiles. Lilly had been doing the exorcism when she had run off. She was glad Bobby was safe. 

“There is one thing though, that I feel like we need to talk about though.” Sam interrupts the silence solemnly.

Mae blinks and looks back up to him. “What?”

“You can’t runaway. Not from me. It’s too dangerous. The demons got Bobby, Mae. I don’t want them ever getting you again.” Sam says seriously. “I know it sucks, but we’ve got to stay together, you’ll be safer with one of us near. You and Lilly- You both just need to be more careful now… But you’ve got me. And Dean, and Bobby. Even Cass.”

Mae smiles at him as she takes his face in her hands, her fingers brushing against his cheeks, her thumbs tracing his jaw. She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. “I promise.”

“That’s all I ask.” Sam smiles with a small nod as he places a chaste kiss on her lips, before he backs away. “Ready to go talk to them? See what the Angel has to say?” He asks with a warm smile.

Mae shakes her head against him, “Yes.”

“Right,” Sam shrugs with a lazy smile at the contradictory response. “Okay let's just stay up here then.”

“No, we need to go.” Mae admits softly.

“You sure?” Sam asks one more time to be sure, wanting her to know she had options. 

“Stop asking…” Mae whines.

“Okay.” Sam chuckles as he picks her up bridal style and walks back into the hotel. He smiles as she presses her ear to his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.

24.

Mae sighs as Sam puts her on her feet in front of their door. She was glad they’d been able to talk, though her throat still felt tight at times. Now she just had to face the rest of her family. She turns to look up at Sam, her eyes uncertain as she grabs the door handle.

Sam meets Mae’s eyes with a reassuring smile as he takes her hand in his and squeezes gently. “I’m with you baby. We’ve got this. They’re not mad, just worried.” He smiles at her encouragingly.

“Right.” Mae nods and opens the door before she can think about it again. She squeezes Sam’s hand as it squeaks open.

Sam chuckles lightly as he walks into the room, his eyes sweeping the occupants all circled around the table where books were spread out.

“Took you two long enough. Cass Won’t talk until we’re all here.” Dean scolds with a smile.

Lilly rolls her eyes as she elbows Dean gently in the chest. “We’re glad you’re back.” She smiles at the littles.

“Sorry.” Mae blushes as she and Sam walk up to the table.

“Nothin’ ta be sorry bout.” Bobby shakes his head as he sends Mae a small smile.

“Glad to hear ya talkin’ Mae.” Dean acknowledges with a smile he hadn’t been able to wipe off his face since he found out Castiel was back. 

“So we’re all here Cass, what’s going on.” Lilly interrupts as she looks to Castiel expectantly. She was thrilled that Castiel was back, and that Mae had been found; however she really wanted to know what was going on. What was so damned important that they all needed to be present.

“Right.” Castiel nods as his eyes sweep over the humans in the room. “I was informed that you had received a message from Chuck?” He asks.

“Yeah the Michael sword is somewhere in a castle on top of forty two dogs or something?” Dean nods his head.

Castiel nods. “That message was a trap, set up to lead you to your father’s storage in New York. There is no sword, at least not a literal one. ” 

“What?” Sam sighs, frustrated by the angels games with them, holding Mae close to him. 

“Seconded. What?! We have it here? How the hell, we don’t have a sword with us.” Dean says with a frown, knowing every weapon they currently had with them.

“You are the sword. You are both the metaphorical swords. To Michael, and to Lucifer.” Castiel informs them with a frown. “The true vessels.”

“WHAT?” Both brothers exclaim at the same time.

“That’s why the demons and angels are hunting you all down.” Castiel explains further, ignoring their outbursts.

“Them boys are vessels?” Bobby asks unsure how that happened, cause no offense to his boys, they just didn’t seem like holy divine anything. 

“Yes, The vessels.” Cass corrects.

Dean looks at Cass in confusion. “Well, I mean,” He looks around the table his eyes lingering over each of his family’s faces. “Is that why it feels like we’re bein’ targeted? Well, more than usual anyways...”

“Minus Bobby, yes correct. They are also after- The girls are the... I was really going to wait to tell you, but they are the sheaths to the swords.”

“What the fuck did you just say?” Lilly snaps with a look of disgust as she’s pulled into the conversation. She hadn’t argued the guys being vessels, to her at least, that part had made sense. She couldn’t remember a single other of Bobby’s hunters that had been part of half the shit the Winchester’s got dragged into. It made sense that there had been more to that particular picture. It was her and Mae’s involvement that she was now questioning. After all Mae wasn’t even fully human, and well, she herself was more often than not overlooked by angels. Not to mention the fact she was an active priestess for a completely unrelated religion. Though the fact that Dean the active atheist with an angel for a BFF had been dragged into this shit, wasn’t lost on her either. Fucking Angel’s and heaven and all of this bull shit. “Sheaths?! How the fuck did we got reduced to sword condoms? Why are we even relevant in this shit?” She demands.

“The what?” Dean asks blinking at the Angel.

“Sheath?” Bobby asks, snorting in disbelief.

“What does that mean Cass?” Mae asks softly as she looks to Castiel in concern.

Castiel takes a deep breath. “As I said, the girls are the sheaths to the sword, it was not happenstance that you four ended up together. Though apparently Lilly was lost, for a while. It was destiny.”

“Done.” Lilly says getting up and wiping her hands. “Not my religion. Not my problem, I’m out. Fuck this.” She says dismissively as she steps away from the table and walks to the conjoined room.

Mae squeezes Sam’s arm as she looks up at him. “I should stay with her.” 

Sam nods in understanding as he smiles briefly at Mae before turning his attention to Castiel.

“It happened a lot sooner than is was supposed too. They have not said it but I have the feeling that the four of you were not meant to meat until after Lucifer’s ascension from the cage. It explains the lack of knowledge on both Elizabeth and Lilly. For instance they thought for certain the matches were Dean and Elizabeth and Sam and Lilly. I have suspicion that only happened because that was my assumption when we first met. The only information they even seem to have on the girls is what I provided in my reports and their names.” Castiel admits his brows drawn together. 

“Huh.” Bobby grunts not sure what to do with that information. Was this the price they payed for all getting out of that convent alive.”

“So, I mean, what does that mean Cass?” Dean can’t help but ask as he looked at Castiel expectantly.

Castiel is silent for a moment his eyes narrowed in thought. “The girl’s are meant to be the.. Breeders of the next race.” He sighs showing signs of discomfort at the admission. “The girls’ offspring with the Archangels are said to be the new race that inherits the Earth. Whichever of my brothers wins… It does not bode well. I’m not sure what will happen to the female whose- Sword loses.”

The three men stare at Castiel blankly unsure how to take the new information.

Castiel looks at everything in the room short of the men. He hadn’t been planning on telling them all of it at once, however he figured the sooner they knew the better. He’d had to fight for that information. The lower ring angels seemed oblivious, and there had apparently been a filing error among the cherubs. The cupid that had marked them had not been commissioned by any of the known higher ups. In other words the Sandover cupid, had acted on his own accord, and the paperwork had gone missing. In all his years he’d never heard of an incident like it, and the PR department was doing their best to cover it. It was a mess.

“We shouldn’t stay here. The demons know we were here, and Mae lost her hex bag in the stairs, so the angels might know too.” Sam says after a few moments of contemplation.

“It would probably be best to leave.” Castiel adds sagely with a nod of his head.

25.

“I really think Mystic is going to be our best bet.” Lilly sighs as she looks around the room. They had spent the last twenty minutes packing their shit. She holds up her hand when she see’s Dean and Sam open their mouths to object. “Wait. Just hear me out. Dean and I already demon proofed it and for the most part it’s warded against angels. I doubt they’d be expecting us to head home, either heaven or hell, and we could be so much more helpful from there. Bobby’s books are closer and Thoth and Maat are just a prayer away.” She points to Castiel. “Because unlike this one, they can’t just re-up that easily. I know you’d all prefer to not ask for my god’s assistance on this-But it’s the end of the fucking world, and we should utilize every advantage we have.” 

Mae adds her new bag to the pile by the door. “I- I’d like to go home, even if it’s just for a few days.” She adds softly.

Castiel nods slowly. “It’s true that heaven is not watching your home. They are diverting much of their energy to fighting the demons and searching for Michael’s vessel. The reports I was able to see suggest that Lucifer is circling a temporary vessel until he can locate Sam.”

“So the generals are tending to their own armies then?” Bobby asks.

Castiel turns to Bobby and nods. “I am not sure how long it’s going to take them to get everything they need in order though. The marks I’ve etched into each of your ribs should keep you hidden from my siblings, however the demons have their own methods of tracking. The hex bags should be negating them finding any of you, though it should be noted that Lilly-” He pauses and looks to Lilly. “Is the least likely to be found by either army, due to her obscura.”

“Yeah well, I’m still not liking this idea.” Dean grumbles as he rubs the back of his head. “I mean, the demons got to Bobby.” He points out after a few seconds of thought.

“But not at my house they didn’t.” Bobby quickly defends himself. “I got ambushed at a gas station on the road. Back before I had a hex bag mind you.”

Sam tilts his head to the side. “If it’s the last place they’d expect us to be…” 

“But still man, they’re gonna sniff around the rafters eventually. I don’t like it.” Dean frowns as he rubs the back of his neck.

“Castiel is back. Thoth and Maat would be-Well, proverbially closer and we’d be more helpful from a place with more accessible knowledge. It’s not like we’d be drawing attention to ourselves. And it’s already warded against demons and angels. Mae would feel better closer to her garden, and we’d both be able to research more smoothly with familiar mediums. I mean, you two weren’t planning on just running blindly right?” Lilly asks as she looks between Dean and Sam knowing the brothers were her biggest obstacles in getting back home. “What if you two need to pick up a case? Do you really think we’re just going to sit idle in some hotel room?”

Sam and Dean both turn their heads away from her, suggesting that that was exactly what they had thought they would do.

Lilly’s eyes narrow suspiciously. “Are you-” She starts to spit out before she stops and takes a deep breath. “That would literally be a waste of resources. Mae and I might not be as proficient in hunting as the four of you, but we aren’t useless either. We are more than capable at research.”

Mae looks between Lilly and the brothers. “Dean, you’re right. Eventually they may start searching Mystic. But they aren’t right now. And you and Lilly have already army proofed the house, so you know we’ll be safe at home even when they do start looking. We’ll be able to get a call for help out. Maybe we can even try to find a way to make the angel wards accept Cass or something.”

“But we won’t be able to even start with the severely limited, lack of books we have with us, and it’s not like we can just pick up more materials at a fuckin’ Barnes and Noble or something. Bobby has his own extensive library, and Thoth-No offense Bobby- has one quintuple that, if not larger.” 

“Old as fuck god of knowledge better have a bigger library.” Bobby rolls his eyes. The girls were making sense, and it kind of scared him. 

Lilly nods her at Bobby. “I know that ya’ll want us protected and shit, but now really isn’t the time for that mentality. It’s about to be Apocalypse now, we really can’t afford this chauvinistic bullshit.”

“I am confident in my ability to get to them if a situation arises. It is not yet known to my brothers and sisters that I have returned.” Castiel points out.

“And we can keep Castiel all tapped up.” Lilly supplies quickly, when she see’s Sam open his mouth. “And Maat and Thoth would surely pop in if danger arose. They’ve done it before.” She points out reasonably. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. “Also, I need things from the house. This lifestyle- I just need things. I have too many mental disorders for this shit. I’m trying, it’s just...Ugh.” She admits begrudgingly. “I can’t. These rooms are disgusting, there’s not enough bleach in the world to make them actually habitable, I’ve been living off meditation. It’s bad when I prefer that mess. It’s surprisingly dirty and full of rusty filing cabinets...”

Dean runs his hands down his face. “You do realize that, even if… IF we do this, you’re going to have to start traveling around with us again eventually. Right?”

“Uh-That’s fine...” Lilly shakes her head she could already taste the lie. She had never complained about Dean’s need to leave and go hunt shit. She just couldn’t recall a conversation where she had ever agreed to do so herself. “I can do...This. I just can’t do it right now.” 

Mae pats Lilly’s shoulder comfortingly as she watches Sam and Dean struggle with their thoughts.

“And. Let’s not forget that if it wasn’t for Castiel’s sudden resurrection some of us may or may not have just waltzed into a very well played angel trap.” Lilly points out with a frown. “Where would that have left Mae and I exactly?”

Sam lifts an eyebrow and looks at Dean. “That is true.” He lets out a sigh and runs his hands through his hair. 

“Yeah.” Dean shakes his head as he lightly kicks his own bag. “I still don’t like it.”

“There is nothing to like. It doesn’t matter what plan we go with, there are going to be flaws in it. At least this way Mae and I can contribute. We’re both fluent in multiple languages, it would be a waste for us not to spend our time researching, while you two-three-four? Do the leg work. And the two of us need to be fine with that. I feel like it’s a rather reasonable compromise and one both sexes can walk away from feeling satisfied.”

“It makes sense to use this lull in activity to really dig into some research. And let’s face it, we need a place to regroup. Shit is about to hit the fan, we need to start bracing for that. Lilly and Mae are making good points.” Bobby shakes his head.

Dean looks around the room one more time. “Dammit…”

“Does that mean we’re going home?” Mae asks softly.

“It sounded like compromise to me.” Lilly smiles as she looks over at a fuming Dean.

26.

Dean drove up the path to Mystic, the drive had been tense and mostly silent. He was pissed at Lilly, and frustrated by pretty much everything that had occurred since Mae had been taken. He let out a loud sigh as he pulled into the garage.

“I’m going to go start angel warding the kitchen.” Lilly chirps happily as she jumped out of baby and ran to the door before she stopped short. She didn’t have her damned keys. 

“Forget something Lilly?” Dean asks rolling his eyes walking around the car to open the door for Sam, who was still holding a sleeping Mae.

“Right.” Lilly breathes out in defeat as she watched Dean impatiently.

“Uh huh.” Dean comments walking over to the door and unlocking it, as Lilly scurried into the kitchen.

“What are you going to do about that?” Sam asks him after entering the house.

“Not sure yet…” Dean mutters walking over to the fridge and pulling a face. He grabs the trash barrel and dumps half the fridge's contents into it, before he finally takes a beer.

“How long do you think it will take her to ward the kitchen?” Sam asks as he walks to the living room and sits down. Happy to be home even if it was ill advised. 

“Dunno, with Lilly hard to tell.” Dean admits following his brother, before he sits down on the couch. The two watch Mae for a while. Happy she was safe, and not currently suffering through a nightmare.

“What are we going to do Dean?” Sam asks in a whisper, for the first time truly not knowing what to do.

“Well, they can’t enter us without permission. Angels have different rules. So we don’t have to worry about that.” Dean offers, happy there was at least one thing working in their favor.

“Yeah, I guess there’s that.” Sam nods with a deepening frown. “But what if they take the girls again?”

“We’ll just be extra careful. Maybe there’s a way to lojack them or something. Magically or mundanely. People chip dogs right? Maybe we can chip them.” Dean comments with a sigh as he scratches the back of his head.

They hear the front door lock turn and Bobby walks in. 

“Drink it.” Dean demands, throwing him a flask of holy water. 

“Getting warmer.” Bobby grunts shaking his head as he drinks a bit before pouring some over his hand. “There's’ a reason’ I do shots. Where's short jit?”

“Angel warding the kitchen, put her down Sam, we really should be helping.” Dean says, pulling the mark out of his pocket to look at again.

“I know.” Sam sighs placing Mae on the couch gently. He sighs as he pulls his own piece of paper from his pocket and looks it over closely. Lilly had happily drawn the both of them the wards needed to keep out the angels, along with instructions carefully scrawled at the bottom. “I’ll go hit up the basement.”

“Right, so where are the wards? Let’s do this.” Bobby says clapping his hands together, taking the offered sheet. “So we just carve these into the wall?”

“That’s what she said, she says it gets charged from the energy of your soul.” Dean shrugs.

“That sounds promising.” Bobby sighs pulling out his own knife. “I’ll go get the attic done.” He nods before he heads out and up stairs.

Dean gives one last look to Mae pulling a throw over her and tucking her in, before he heads back to the kitchen and helps Lilly with the wards. 

“Hello?” They hear Castiel’s voice call from the garage.

“Cass?” Dean calls out walking into the garage rubbing the back of his neck. “Sup?”

“I come with more news.” Castiel states gravely.

“Awesome.” 

“You mentioned fighting back; about killing Lucifer before he could try to take Sam and Elizabeth.”

“I plan on it, yeah.” Dean nods.

“Well, I still think it’s crazy, but I know someone who could help. I just need to find him.” Castiel says, looking happy, nearly excited.

“Okay.” Dean watches Castiel for a moment. “And?”

“God, I’m going to continue looking for God.” 

“Right, good plan.” Dean says skeptically.

“Thank you. I need to borrow something from you though.”

Dean shakes his head. “Sure, what do you need?” He asks, figuring he might as well humor the angel.

“Your amulet.” Castiel states as he walks over to Dean and plucks the necklace from him, before dropping it around his own neck.

“Hey, hey, hey I feel naked now, gross man.” Dean eyes the amulet he’d worn for years. It was one of his few possessions that he actually gave a damn about; a christmas present from Sam a lifetime ago. 

“With this, I can find God.” Castiel states. “It grows hot in his presence.”

“Why do you feel naked with the Angel?” Lilly asks as she smiles at Castiel, having finished checking over the wards in the kitchen for the third time.

“He took my amulet.” Dean all but pouts. 

“Oh…” Lilly tilts her head to the side, before she looks down at her own necklaces and shifts through them before she pulls one off her neck. She stands on her toes and loops the throng around his neck. “There, the staurolite cross suits you.” She smiles at him before turning to the angel. “I’m sorry about the wards Cass.”

“I’m going to go begin my search for God. Try to stay out of trouble.” Castiel tilts his head to the side as he gives Lilly a stern look. “Lilly.”

“Yes?” Lilly asks with a quirked brow.

“I mean you, mostly.” Castiel states.

“Hey? I’m not the only shit starter thanks.” Lilly defends herself.

“No, but you’re always the first to run into things.” Castiel nods once before flapping off.

“I, was, did the angel just insult me? Or was that him teasing?” Lilly asks staring at the empty spot where he had just been standing.

“I think he’s growing a sense of humor. Good for him.” Dean says with a smile, looking down at her.

“Super…How’s it going down here?” Lilly asks looking towards him. “I’m still not okay with just keeping him in the garage, like, I don’t know, a dog, which, I don’t know why anyone would keep a dog in the garage but… Yeah.” 

“Didn’t you mention asking Thoth for help or something?”

“I did, but that’s going to take time, I doubt he’s all that familiar with angels, or Enochian.” Lilly shrugs. She had complete faith in Thoth to find the answers, but she also knew things like this could take time. She was actually looking forward to experimenting with it. She’d never worked with runes before, maybe they would be less terrifying than spells and rituals.

“He’ll be okay. He wants you two safe just as much as we do.” Dean assures her, pulling her to his chest.

Lilly nods as she hugs him tightly for a moment, before she takes his hand and pulls him back towards the kitchen, not liking how exposed she felt in the garage. “Let’s go make sure all the demon inhibitors are still in place.” She smiles at him. 

27.

They had just settled down for dinner when they hear Mae screaming at the top of her lungs for her mother. The brothers and Bobby immediately jump to their feet and race for Mae. 

Lilly was on her way but found herself drawn by the presence of Castiel in the garage. She looks between where Mae was having a nightmare, and the garage door she knew Castiel was standing behind and lets out a sigh. She wanted to go check on Mae, but she knew that would be needlessly cruel to the angel who’d done so much for her and her family so makes her decision and heads towards the door. She opens it with a small, sad smile on her lips. 

“Cass.” Lilly greets the angel whose head was resting against the wall next to the door. “I’m sorry.” She adds softly as she steps out to stand next to him.

“Elizabeth is very distressed. And there is nothing I can do for her.” Castiel states softly, the tone defeated and oddly helpless for a being who could kill most creatures with a flick to the forehead.

“I know.” Lilly admits as she pats his back. “I’m sorry.” She adds with a frown. “I’m going to work with Thoth on a way to figure out how to allow you access, this is uncomfortable.”

“Please go and check on her, something has risen her heart beat to dangerous levels.”

“Right, I’ll be right back. I’m sorry Cass.” Lilly apologizes as she heads over to where the men are crowding around Mae, easily weaving around them.

“No! No! Mom? Mom! Noo!” Mae swings her arms wildly, trying to knock away an unseen attacker.

Lilly’s heart breaks at the sight of Mae crying out for River. She watches her sister clinically for a moment; noting as tears pour from Mae’s eyes as she staggers blindly around the room.

“Right, well this is dangerous.” Lilly mutters as she walks forward, carefully dodging the movements.

“No. Mom! Please!” Mae falls limply to the ground, curling up in a tight ball, her body wracked with sobs.

Lilly can’t stop herself from moving closer every instinct in her shouting to comfort her sister, all thoughts of staying strictly clinical gone as her sister curled into the smallest of balls. She finds herself dropping to her knees before she can even think about and goes to pull her sister onto her lap, when a hand to her shoulder interrupts her thoughts.

“The fuck Lilly, you said not touch her when she’s like this.” Dean snaps, having already grabbed her shoulder in concern.

“I’ve never seen her like this before..,” Lilly admits with a concerned frown, as she shook her head. She took a deep breath as she stood shrugging Dean’s hand off her shoulder, and watches as Sam quickly takes her place pulling Mae close to him, trapping her arms to keep her from hurting herself. She sighs as she turns and heads back to the garage, it wasn’t as if she were going to be of much help at the moment anyways.

“She stopped screaming. And her heart rate is slowing. Is she ok? Should I see her?” Castiel asks as soon as Lilly reaches the garage door.

“Yeah, I’ve uh, I’ve never seen her do that.” Lilly admits as she sits on the step of the garage stairs. She watches the struggling angel; elbows on her knees, face resting on her hands as she leans forward with a frown.

Castiel turns to face Lilly and leans his back against the wall. “What was she doing?”

“She was standing, screaming out for her mother-Which she hasn’t done in years, and fighting off an attacker. Though who the attacker was is unknown to me...” Lilly responds with a sigh.

“The night I got in trouble for making her sleep she was fighting Sam.” Castiel points out.

“This time she was standing up and actually throwing punches though. Like she was sleep-boxing.” Lilly rubs at her eyes. “Fuck…” She sighs.

“To what are you exclaiming?”

“I’m thinking about dream root… But it’s in the basement…” Lilly admits hesitantly.

“There are wards in the basement.” Castiel points out, knowing that she be able to get it herself.

“I know.” Lilly admits as she rubs her arms. She didn’t want Dean or Bobby disturbing Mae’s workspace either. Sam was a prime candidate, but there was no way he was letting Mae go in this state, and she couldn’t blame him for that. She chewed her bottom lip, her nails digging into her arm as she thought about going down into the hellmouth herself.

“I could go find some.” Castiel offers.

Lilly looks up and smiles at Castiel, leaping off the stairs to hug him. “I’ll go find some hair.” She chirps happily, before she releases him and bolts into the house. Hair was so much easier to locate.

Castiel smiles before he flits away.

Lilly rushes to the bathroom and grab’s Mae’s hairbrush, before she races back to the kitchen to start a pot of tea. When she had her end of things covered she lets out a sigh and goes to wait in the garage/kitchen threshold for Castiel to return from his search. She can’t help but to wince at the shrill screams and broken sobs from Mae, not forty feet away from her. Her fingers drumming out an impatient beat against the tiled floor. 

“Is this enough?” Castiel asks as he flaps back into the garage, holding out a small knot of the root. 

“Yep.” Lilly smiles as she jumps to her feet and takes the knotted root from the angel with a quick thank you before she runs to the counter and makes the noxious yellow brew.

“Is this something I can help with?” Cass asks hopefully.

Lilly looks over to Castiel. “That depends, how are you with dream walking?” She asks as she 

“I can enter dreams when the need arises, as you know. But I have never used an herbal remedy to dream walk.”

“I don’t know the ramifications of Angels on dream root... But, I’m not going to tell you no when you were the one to find it.” Lilly comments as she easily prepares a second cup.

Castiel ponders for a moment. “I will stay conscience and let the Winchesters and Bobby know what is going on.”

“If we’re not back in an hour tap me, and wake her the fuck up... Also, luck with that.” Lilly acknowledges before she downs the putrid yellow liquid like a shot. 

Castiel watches helplessly from the garage as Lilly slumps to the ground, not sure why he was surprised that she had given him no warning that this might happen. “What was I expecting?” He sighs to himself. He shakes his head as he calls out for Dean.


	11. Chapter 9

28.

Lilly opens her eyes looking next to her to find Mae in the middle of a grass field, knees drawn to herself and crying. 

“Mae? Harps? What the fuck is this?” Lilly asks softly, as she kneels in the field next to her sister, and wraps her arms around her slowly. Her eyes narrow slightly in suspicion when she feels Mae immediately reciprocate the hug. It felt nice, almost normal… And that alone put her on edge. Something felt off; she looks around in concern.

“Lilly?” Mae sniffles into the hollow of her neck, holding her closely, drawing her attention back to her. 

Lilly holds Mae closer for a moment, kissing her forehead and whispering comforting words against her temple even as her eyes scan the area, her entire body freezing when she see’s the familiar image of River, speaking with another Mae. 

“This isn’t right… You’re not…” Lilly states firmly as she forced herself to stand up. “That seems more on point. I’m sorry Mae, I need to go…” She apologizes even as she forces herself to pull away from a sobbing Mae, decision painfully made. There was something odd happening here, she was certain of it, and as much as she missed actually being able to physically comfort her sister, that wasn’t why she was here. Something had Mae screaming out for River, and fighting in the same breath, she needed to find out what. Personal needs aside, she needed to get to the root of her sister’s nightmare and this aspect wasn’t what she needed to be focused on.

Lilly makes it three steps before she finds herself stopped, Mae holding her hand tightly. She looks over her sister with a frown. “I’ve gotta go harps, I’m sorry.” She frowns as she attempts to pull her hand free.

“Don’t leave me.” Mae frowns as she squeezes Lilly’s hand.

“I’m sorry.” Lilly whispers, kissing the top of her head tenderly before the entire scene vanishes.

Lilly sighs and shakes her head of the image of Mae crying, and heads in the direction of Mae and River, trying to figure out where the turmoil was coming from.

“Honey, you’re doing fine. Lilly will always love you. You’re sisters. You don’t have to worry about that. And yes, I wish I could have met Sam. But if Bobby is supporting the two of you, that’s good enough for me sweetie.” Lilly hears River say, as she watched the older woman comfort Mae. The two were sitting together on a blanket in River’s garden; the garden as it had been before Mae made all the renovations.

Lilly watches as River brushes Mae’s hair out of her eyes, pushing it behind her ears. It was a sight she was very familiar with. She’d forgotten how maternal River had been, and her heart ached at the sight. She felt like she was intruding on such an intimate moment. She looks away, her eyes scanning the rest of the area in concern. It seemed like this Mae, though sad, wasn’t currently fighting off any monsters. That didn’t mean it was safe though. Mae had encountered more than her fair share of monsters in her life and Lilly could feel the distinct shift of something working around them, it made her stomach tighten. 

Lilly conjures a rock to sit on a fair distance away and begins humming to herself, doing her best to ignore Mae’s private conversation. There was something else at work here, she could just feel it. She wasn’t certain if the presence was internal or external, she just knew the more she tried to focus on it; the more uneasy she felt.

Some time passes before River sets the brush down. With a sad smile she tucks a strand of Mae’s hair behind her ear. “Honey, it’s starting to get dark. It’s time to go inside.”

Mae grabs her mother’s hand, her eyes wide with fear. “No, Momma, please don’t leave. I don’t like it when you leave.”

Lilly lays back on the rock her back completely arched not wanting to watch Mae suffer losing her mother again. She stares off into the encroaching darkness with suspicion. The notes of desperation weaving into Mae’s tone made her wince.

“Don’t be silly Sweetie, I’ll always be here when you fall asleep. I’m always with you, watching over you.” River bends forward and kisses Mae on the forehead.

Lilly alerts to River’s words in concern. Did Mae know she was dreaming? She sits up, watching mother and daughter closely.

“I’m sorry I can’t stay with you longer.” River says sadly as she stands and walks into the intruding darkness. 

Mae pulls her legs up and rests her chin on her knees. “No… Nono… Not again. Mom!” She cries out in despair. 

Lilly pushes off the rock and walks over to her sister, careful to keep her eyes on the line of darkness crawling towards them. “Mae…” She greets softly laying her hand on Mae’s shoulder as she crouches down. 

“Lilly?” Mae looks up, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

“Yep.” Lilly returns with a reassuring smile, popping the ‘p’.

“But, you’re not suppose to be here.” Mae wipes at her eyes.

“I know. I’m sorry. But you were acting...I didn’t…” Lilly ends up giving up on her explanation as she pulls Mae to her closely. “I love you.” She smiles sheepishly.

“I love you too.” Mae hugs her back before she tilts her head to the side. “Are you dreamwalking?” She finally asks, realization dawning in her eyes.

“Yeah, you were kind of… Worrying us, so I came in to check on you...” Lilly admits as she pulls away and looks over Mae with concern. 

“Oh. That makes... Sense.” Mae comments softly, as she hugged Lilly tighter.

“I’m worried about you.” Lilly admits into Mae’s hair, reciprocating the hug. “You’re… acting differently. You were like sleep boxing, or something while screaming.” She explains as she looks Mae over carefully. “I think I’m taking on hunter paranoia or something… I’m sorry.” She adds as she waves her hand and fairy lights fill the trees above them to ward off the concerning darkness. Lilly wasn’t sure what was out there, but whatever it was putting her on edge. 

Mae smiles. “Mom came back to visit me again.” 

“It’s just a dream harpy…” Lilly sighs as she looks at her sister.

“I know that Lilly. But I haven’t dreamed about her like this in so long. I’ve missed her.”

“Do you know why you would be screaming and swiping at things if it was just your mom then?” Lilly asks her keeping her eyes on the swarming darkness, a chill running up her spine.

“Everytime she leaves, that darkness comes. And I, remember things.” Mae says, looking down at the small circle of sunlight still lighting the area up.

“Right, well let’s see what we can do about that? I’m with you Mae, I’m not leaving you to fight this shit alone.” Lilly informs Mae with more confidence than she felt. Dean’s dreams had certainly been full of monsters, but she couldn’t remember this feeling. It felt like there was a distinct force constantly pressing against her. Was it because Mae was half fae? Were her dreams just stronger? Or was it something else? 

Mae smiles, “I love you Lilly. I’m sorry I’ve been, not myself.”

“I love you too. S’not your fault. Anyone wouldn’t be themselves after what you’ve been through.” Lilly assures Mae with a smile as she stands to her feet offering Mae her hand.

“You’re the best.” Mae takes the hand, letting Lilly pull her to standing.

“Well, I have to do one thing right.” Lilly smiles Mae, as she squeezed her hand in reassurance.

The darkness slowly tightens around them. The sound of several heavy steps begins to echo around them as the last dime sized piece of light vanishes.

Mae’s hand tightens around Lilly’s. “They’re coming. I can never remember their faces, but they were both big.” She explains with a shiver.

“Kay…” Lilly comments as she thinks about what the best course of action would be. She turns to Mae after a moment. “Alright...do you want to remember their faces? Is that why you're doing this to yourself?” She asks curiously. 

“I don’t know why I’m dreaming about this on repeat. I can’t wake up though..” 

“Do you wanna exorcise them and then go watch firefly with your mom? She never got a chance to see it?” Lilly offers squeezing Mae’s hand in comfort.

“That sounds like fun.” Mae nods before her eyes sadden. “But shouldn’t we just wake up so you’re not trapped in here?”

“No. I’m here, might as well help you with this, don’t be dumb.” Lilly comments with a dismissive wave. “So when they show up, we spit it out. I feel if you were going to wake up, we would have done it by now… Maybe you need to do this…”

She watches in horror when Mae screams as she’s pulled to the ground by an unseen force.

“Nope.” Lilly says picking her back up to her feet, with ease. “This is a dream, not a memory. They’re not getting you that easily.” 

“It feels like a memory.” Mae shakily leans on Lilly for a moment. 

“This is a dream of a memory, difference being, your Soror kicks ass here.” Lilly tells Mae with a cocky smile. “I got you. We’re doing this, and we’re going to win.” She adds with a shit eating grin.

“Right.” She says with a small smile. She knew something else was coming and she turns to wait for the next hit. Her vision blurs as she is picked up kicking and screaming.

“Alright. Now, the exorcism Mae.” Lilly snaps at her sister, grabbing her by her waist and placing her down on the ground. From far away, she thinks she can barely make out a snap. She glares into the darkness. Unsure if she had heard it at all, when the scene around them shifts almost instantly.

“I can feel her next to me.” Lilly hears Mae say as she looks around and notices the interior of a high end town car. 

Lilly looks over to Mae and growls when she notices the blonde demon stroking Mae’s hair. She narrows her eyes and claps her hands, the demoness quickly turning into a golden lab puppy. “There, pet that.” 

Mae turns to frown down at the puppy chewing on the seat belt next to her. “That’s a puppy.”

“Yes, yes it is…” Lilly nods as she smiles at Mae. “It’s like, cute or something, look how it’s already shedding on the leather…So adorable.” She mumbles as she thinks about the drastic shift in the dreamscape. It was no use comparing what she was used to dreaming to this. Nor Dean. Everyones dreams were different. However the feeling she’d felt before was still present. Her eyes scan the landscape, finding nothing of interest before she turns back to Mae.

Mae smiles as she lets the puppy climb into her lap and scratches it behind the ear.

Lilly smiles, willing to sit in comfortable silence until she hears another snap. Her eyes narrow in suspicion as the car begins shifting again as she reaches forward and grabs Mae’s arm. 

Mae looks up from the playful puppy to Lilly. “What’s wrong?” 

“Do you not hear that?” Lilly asks with a frown as the scene shifts around and they end up in a familiar white room with pink accents. 

Mae looks around in terror. “Lilly…” She tries to pull Lilly with her as she edges to the door.

“Yeah. I know.” Lilly looks to Mae with concern as she claps her hands, the room shifting again. There was something forcing Mae’s subconscious to her worst memories surrounding Lilith. She wasn’t sure if it was Mae, or something else- But at this point she was pretty confident it wasn’t natural. She looks around the familiar, safe, family room. River was calling out that the popcorn was ready from the kitchen, exactly the way Lilly remembered. She’d taken this directly from one of her favorite memories of Mae and River, perfectly constructed to the last detail-except this time the Firefly menu was waiting on the television instead of The Labyrinth. 

Mae smiles at Lilly as she pulls them to the couch in her childhood home. “I remember the night we watched this. Dad was working late and mom let us stay up really late even though we had school the next day.”

Lilly nods towards Mae even as she looks around the room warily. There was something else at play here, she was sure of it. Until she figured out whether the underlying presence was helping or hindering Mae, she was intent on keeping her here; in a memory she was intimately familiar with. At least this way she’d be able to notice if there was an irregular occurrence. She was in complete control here, and she wanted to know what was wrong with her sister. The more she became familiar with the energy; the more she felt it’s… Power. She shivers at the implication, chills running down her spine as River joins them in the room.

Mae watches Lilly for a moment. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing sorry, just excited to watch this with your mom.” Lilly quickly lies with a smile. Her eyes dart around the room. As if daring the darkness to come back.

“Me too, I’ve heard this is a great show.” River replies with a smile as she wraps one arm around Mae’s shoulders and ruffles Lilly’s hair. 

Lilly smiles at the familiar gesture as all three of them settle down to watch the short lived series. She keeps her eyes on the shadows as she carefully listens for any sounds that were out of place. It took about half of the first episode before she heard the distinct snap, she quickly claps before the dream they were in even thought about shifting. “Yay!” She cheers at some random scene; she hadn’t been paying attention to the T.V..

Mae and River both laugh as they all settle back into the couch to continue watching the show.

Lilly looks over at one point during the show, noticing Mae nodding off as another obnoxious snap goes off. She quickly claps to counteract whatever the snapping was attempting to accomplish. She gasps as she she shoots up, looking around the kitchen in suspicion; feeling drained and tired, only to have the bright light blind her. Almost instantly she falls back to the table, confused and lethargic with her eyes screwed shut. 

“Lilly?” Dean asks as he leans over her staring at her in concern before pulling away. “Bobby, is Mae waking up?” He calls out loudly down the hall.

Lilly opens her one eye cautiously, to see an angry Dean looming over her. She sighs. She felt like shit, and she really wasn’t up for a lecture.

Dean growls as he looks down at Lilly, his eyes quickly sweeping over her. She’d grown increasingly worse as Mae’s condition had begun evening out. It had been a slow progression that had her cold and clammy to the touch and he had no idea what she had done while in her sister’s dreams. He just knew there was something wrong. He looks at her face and notices the dark bags under her eyes with a frown. “What did you do?” He mumbles more to himself, as he pushes her damp hair off her forehead.

“Yeah, she’s up.” Bobby gruffs as he walks into the kitchen with Mae beside him.

“Sam?” Mae asks with a yawn as she stretches, feeling better than she had in awhile. 

“Hey Mae, how are you feeling?” Sam asks, putting the dream root tea down in relief as he turns towards her.

“Best sleep I’ve had in a while actually, it started out as a mess, but then Lilly showed up and we watched Firefly with my mom.” Mae smiles as she walkes over to hug him.

“Sounds like a great dream baby.” Sam runs his hands through her hair, just happy to see her up, and not screaming in her sleep.

“It was nice.” Mae lets out a small sigh as she leans into him.

“Elizabeth, we were worried about you.” Castiel states from the garage door. 

“Nothing was waking you gidjits up.” Bobby adds with a frown as he looks the two girls over. Mae was looking a bit better, but Lilly looked worse than she had in days. 

Mae frowns as she walks over to hug Bobby. “We were just, I don’t know, we just seemed stuck. Even after Lilly got me out of the loop.” She sighs before she walks over to hug Castiel as well. “Sorry for worrying you. All four of you.” She adds as she turns and gives them an apologetic look. 

“It was not your fault Elizabeth.” Castiel states even as he raises a hand to pat her back. “You are well now?” He asks not sensing any damage or distress as he checks her over for injuries.

“Yeah, never better. Thanks Lilly, that was sweet of you.” Mae says, turning to her sister that just weakly waves her hand dismissively.

“Any time.” Lilly mumbles softly. She sits up slowly, ignoring how dizzy it made her. She didn’t remember feeling this drained the last time she went strolling through someone's subconscious. She frowns as she thinks back to the snapping. She really wasn’t that familiar with fae physiology but she was pretty certain no part of Mae would snap. Though, perhaps it was a callback to her fears of Uriel. She brings a shaky hand to her temple and rubs. That didn’t make sense. She’d felt Uriel, whatever she’d been in battle with- There was a laughable difference in the two presences.

“Are you okay Lilly?” Mae asks walking over to her sister.

“Just, uh, just a bit light headed.” Lilly smiles as she thinks about roughing Mae’s hair but ends up dropping her hands in her lap.

Mae leans down to whisper in her sister’s ear. “I’m allowed to worry about you too you know.”

Lilly just rolls her eyes and chuckles. “Sure thing Harpy. But I’m fine.”

“I beleive fine is a word that had been stricken from use in this house. You do not feel fine. You feel like you did after the cleansing ritual.” Castiel glares at her. 

“Wow! Anyone get that bus number?” Lilly grumbles under her breath.

“Yeah, it was C-A-5-5” Mae supplies helpfully.

“She needs rest and food.” Castiel tells him.

“Oh look, it knows reverse.” Lilly groans as she hangs her head in defeat, as she stabilizes herself on the table. 

Mae giggles at her sister’s joke.

“What happened Lilly?” Bobby asks the girl worried. 

“Uh… That’s a Mae question.” Lilly waves dismissively, with a roll of her eyes. She wasn’t even sure what had happened. Was that Mae’s fae subconscious? Or was it something more sinister? Did Lilith leave something behind to break Mae further? Or was this something else entirely? She closed her eyes as she chews her bottom lip.

Dean picks her up from the table and sets her in an actual chair. “You stay.” He orders as he goes to the fridge to get her something to drink and eat. “You talk.” He points at Mae before he opens the fridge.

“”Uh, sure. I was stuck in my dream. And it just kept repeating. I was talking to my Mom.” She pauses for a second, smiling at just the memory of her mother. “It was nice. But then she would leave, and it would get dark. And then I’d start, you know. Remembering stuff. All kinds of stuff.” Her voice wavering before she shakes her head. “Then it would repeat itself, I’d talk to mom again and then more memories. Suddenly, voila, Lilly shows up and she starts kicking dream butt and she kept clapping and there was a puppy and then we ended up in our living room watching TV with mom, but now that I think about, Lilly why were you clapping so much? It wasn’t even in a rhythm, you never do that.”

Everyone turns an expect an eye on Lilly, each curious to know the answer only to find her slumped over onto the table, head resting on her arms.

“I think she fell asleep.” Dean puts the food down on the table. He sighs as he picks her up. “Sorry guys, looks like we’re going to have to try this again later.” He nods to the others before heading up the stairs.

Everyone gets lost in their own thoughts as the couple disappears up the stairs before Sam turns to Mae. “But you're feeling better, right baby?” He asks again, still concerned.

“Yeah, just hungry.” Mae answers with a smile.

“If you're alright Elizabeth, I think it best I start searching for my father now.” Castiel sighs wishing he’d spoken up sooner. He should have looked Lilly over while he had the chance. He was worried she’d expended too much energy in her dream walking. He shakes his head, if they needed him they knew how to find him. He’d check in soon, just in case. He too was curious as to what she had been using her energy on. It did not bode well.

“Sorry we pulled you away from your mission Cass.” Mae looks to him with a small frown.

“It’s alright Elizabeth.” Castiel states as he turns back to look at her. 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Mae asks.

“Try to stay out of trouble.” Castiel states with the smallest of smiles before he disappears.

Mae laughs at Castiel’s slight tease. “I didn’t ask to be trapped in a nightmare.”

Bobby lifts his eyebrow as he looks Mae over with concern in his eyes.

Sam frowns as he walks over to Mae and pulls her closer. Had she been trapped in the nightmare? Lilly hadn’t mentioned anything, and looked like she had just lost a fight. His eyes sweep over Mae in concern. “What do you mean trapped?” He asks firmly. “I thought it was just a normal nightmare?”

Mae turns to look at Sam, her head tilted to the side. “It was. It was just kinda weird. I figured out I was dreaming but I couldn’t get myself to wake up. And it was a nightmare so it was just scary and confusing.”

Sam looks at Mae for a moment before he looks to Bobby for help. He didn’t have the best understanding on dreams, he hadn’t taken many soft sciences in school. Bobby just shrugged in response. 

“It sounds like a regular nightmare to me.” Bobby responds. 

Mae looks between the two of them. “I’m really okay guys. It’s normal to have nightmares after…” She shakes her head. “Yeah, so I’m fine. It was just a nightmare. Just means I’m working through stuff.” She shrugs, trying to look confidant.

Bobby nods. “Yeah, it is.” He frowns as he looked at her solemnly. “But they weren’t ever s’posed ta touch ya. Ya shouldn’t have ta be workin’ through stuff like this.” He adds gruffly, unable to stop himself from glaring at Sam, before he exhales and shake his head. “But there ain’t no helpin it now. So, yeah, nightmares are normal.” 

Mae frowns as she walks over to Bobby and wraps her arms around his neck as she leans her head into his shoulder.

Bobby looks at Mae, and hugs her back. “I’m glad we got ya back.” He says softly as he hugs his god-daughter closely. He’d spent so many years of his life trying to keep her out of this shit. And here she was part of a shitty prophecy. He sighs, he had been doomed from the fucking start. He looks up at Sam and frowns. How had he adopted four jits that had ta do with some damned prophecy. Hell, one even ended up being a damned fairy. Another broke the first seal, and his brother the last. The fourth had a damned priestess in her that was freakin’ cursed. He chuckles at the irony as he pulls Mae tighter. “Damn jits.” He shakes his head.

“Love you too Bobby.” Mae smiles as she hides her face, letting herself cry into Bobby’s shoulder like she had so many times in her life. For a moment she can be the scared child she feels like, with her protective Uncle Bobby watching out for her. 

Sam watches as Bobby comforts Mae with a small smile on his lips. He knew there was so much more shit heading there way. Demons and Angels were going to be gunning for them like never before, and the odds were, once again, stacked unimaginably high against them. But right now he was just happy Mae had finally started talking again. Their guardian angel was back. They were, for at least a short while, in the home he thought Dean and he would never have. That they had all lived through Lucifer’s ascension, and there was still time to fix it; just like they would all help to get Mae through this. It wasn’t going to be easy, but when were things ever easy for them? 

29.

“So, we’re finally alone in a relatively sound proof room, protected from angels and demons, with a real bed.” Mae says, smiling at him as they entered ‘their’ room.

“Yeah, maybe we can get some real sleep.” Sam teases her, as he scoops her up and places a chaste kiss on her lips before he starts walking to the hammock bed, switching the lights on as his way. He gently places her down to the bed, and looks down at her with a smile. “It is so amazing to hear you talk again.”

Mae smiles up at him. “Are you sure you don’t miss the quiet? I mean usually you can’t get me to shut up.” She rolls to lay on her stomach, propping her chin on her palms.

Sam chuckles as he shakes his head. “Definitely not, your the only other sane one.” He politely disagrees as he leans his back against the wall and crosses his arms watching her. 

Mae smiles over at him before her eyes drop back to the bed.

Sam watches her closely with concern as he moves to sit next to her pulling her closely. “You know baby, you never talked about anything. I just wanna make sure you know I’m here for you. I’ve heard I’m listener.” He tells her softly as he runs his hand through her hair.

Mae takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I know.” A timid smile trembles on her lips. “I’m sorry I- couldn’t talk about it. Before. This is, this is so...I don’t, humiliating, I guess. I-I feel so, ashamed.” Mae cries, her voice breaks as she sits up and brings her knees to her chest; tears form in her eyes and fall down her face in a constant stream

“Baby, Mae, no. A demon had you. A demon.” Sam breathes as he holds her tighter. He kisses the top of her head and looks down at her with a small smile. “You lived through it. I’m so proud of you baby. There’s nothing to feel ashamed for. You endured baby, that’s all that matter. You lived through forty eight hours with that crazy bitch. A true fucking monster. What she did…” Sam trails off as he thinks back to Lilly’s words. “There are no words for what she did to you. It was cruel, and disgusting, and twisted but none of that is on you. None of it baby.” He assures her.

Mae clutches at his shirt, wrapping the material around her fingers. “I feel, awful. Gross. Dirty.”

“Baby, I’m so sorry.” Sam murmurs into her hair, wishing he had known more of the story before he had gotten the chance to kill the bitch. His heart was breaking for Mae, wishing he could kill the bitch again, for what she’d done to Mae. “It’s not your fault baby. It was never your fault. And though I hear you feel awful, and… Gross, there’s no reason to baby. You survived an impossible situation.”

Mae takes a deep breath. “I just hate that it happened, and the way I feel. And I don’t even understand how I feel. How can anyone else? I can’t feel anything.”

Sam looks down at Mae and studies her for a moment trying to come up with a response for that. “I’m not sure if any of us can know exactly how you… Feel, but we’ve all experienced similar situations. It’s alright to feel numb, and hate that it happened. We can at least empathize with that.” 

“And you guys all handle it, and I just fell apart.” Mae’s voice hitches as she speaks and she buries her face into his chest.

Sam snorts. “Which of us handle it Mae?” He asks derisively. “Which one of us do you think handle that shit? Bobby? We all know how much he drinks. Me? I drank demon blood Mae, I chose that. Dean? King of Mount Martyrdom? Your s-Lilly? You should know more than most how she ‘handles’ shit. Which just to clarify, in case she gave you any other impression, is pretty piss poor.” He adds with narrowed eyes and a calm anger. Lilly was a fucking walking mess. He still couldn’t get over the philosophies she’d somehow ended up passing off to Mae. She was worse than fucking Dean. He frowns at the thought as he shakes his head, curious how someone had somehow superseded John’s A-plus parenting. 

Mae looks up and lets out a sigh. “Have you ever given your family up to a demon? I don’t even know why she was asking the questions she was asking, but after awhile I was answering everything. Just to get her to stop touching me. To not play tea party or take a bath or play dress up. I couldn’t handle it.”

Sam’s arms tighten around Mae reflexively. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner. I’m so sorry baby.” He breathes out with so much regret, as tears burn at his eyes at her tone. She sounded so lost and scared it hurt. “You didn’t do anything wrong baby. You didn’t. You did the right thing.” He assures her, with a kiss to her temple. 

“It still kept happening. I could have just not talked, not told her about the people I love. She didn’t stop.” Mae cries into him, her heart aching with the memory.

Sam shakes his head as he looks to her with a soft expression. “It would have gotten worse. It always gets worse.” He breathes out as he looks away. “God, it would have gotten worse.” He sighs as he pulls Mae closer. “She could have killed you.” He whispers as he blinks away his tears. 

Mae shakes her head, her voice hollow as continues talking. “No. She was insane Sam. Her emotions were so out of tune it made me sick-”

“Mae, that’s the point! She was insane. She could have killed you by accident if you’d argued or fought to hard. She was insane.”

“But I believed her when she told me she couldn’t and wouldn’t kill me. She didn’t even let me lose consciousness or sleep.”

“Yeah, but that was with you- She would have killed you if she was angry enough. Demons- Angels- No one with that type of power takes being denied, or argued with. She would have lashed out. It just get’s worse with every act of conceived disobedience.”

“I fought her at first. Tried to run, I tried to run a few times. And she did lash out. She did not like the word no. I- I stopped after…” Mae shakes her head as she drops her hands from Sam’s shirt, watching as they shook against his leg.

Sam sighs as he pulls Mae tightly to his chest and kisses her temple softly. “I’m glad you didn’t keep arguing baby. I’m proud of you. You did the right thing, regardless of how much you may think otherwise. Your life is so much more valuable than any piece of information baby. I need you to know that. You are more important to me, to us. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you had kept silent.” He whispers as he reaches down and takes her hands, squeezing them gently. “You made the right call.” 

Mae slowly lifts her eyes to his. “Then why do I feel so bad?”

“Cause Lilly’s a fucking jackass.” Sam bites out bitterly, unable to stop himself. “Do you know how you feel when you find out she’s done something like that?” He asks as he looks down at her. “She doesn’t even- She did it over being a secretary Mae. She was willing to die over a fucking computer and pants. She’s an idiot, with a death wish.”

Mae can’t stop her lip from trembling as she looks down, cowed by his words.

Sam takes a deep breath. “Sorry baby. I’m sorry, that was… Wrong of me. However-” He pauses to take a deep breath. “Lilly isn’t someone who's footsteps you should follow in.” He corrects himself, albeit painfully. 

“I’m sorry.” Mae stumbles to say.

“Why are you apologizing?” Sam asks as his eyes sweep over her face, as he holds her tighter. 

“You’re angry.”

“Not at you baby, never at you.” Sam sighs as he pulls Mae to him closer, shifting so she was laying on his stomach. “I’m mad at what Lilly did to you. Not at you.”

“Lilly didn’t do anything. I would never want to put people I love in danger.” Mae takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “But I did, and I feel like a coward.”

Sam takes a deep breath, an argument on the tip of his tongue before he swallows it. “You’re not a coward baby, you’re a survivor. You lived through an incredibly traumatic experience with an fucking lunatic, baby. That’s not cowardice, it’s survival. It’s not like you just volunteered the information, she was hurting you. You did the right thing.”

“Would you do what I did?” Mae suddenly asks, pulling herself up so she could look him in the eyes.

Sam’s silent for a moment as he thinks about it. “If it meant getting back to you…” He admits as he looks down at her, meeting her gaze. “But, I’ve also never been in that situation. When demons catch me, it’s usually to kill me...” He admits more honestly. He supposed it would really come down to the questions, but he was a man; a Winchester. His stomach shifts slightly at the awareness of the hypocrisy, but easily throws the thought away. He’d had military training, it was a completely different situation.

Mae sighs and drops her head onto his chest with a dull thud. “I guess that part of my problem is becoming moot. Obviously none of you are upset with me over it, it’s just me. I let myself down.” 

“Someone else put that in your head Mae. It was an unrealistic and distorted view.” Sam quickly argues with a surprising amount of vehemence. “Sorry.” He breathes out. “I know how shitty it can feel to let yourself down. I’m sorry.” He amends himself, as he realized that may have been slightly demeaning. She couldn’t help the fact Lilly had drilled that fucked up shit into her head for years. This was something that was going to take time to un-program. He wanted to shake Lilly.

“I love you.” Mae breaths against his chest, her fingers working their way back into the material of his shirt.

“I love you too baby.” Sam smiles up at her his hand coming up so he could caress her jaw with his thumb. “I’m proud of you... You have good instincts.” He whispers sincerely as his eyes met hers.

“Are you sure? You don’t know the whole… The whole thing.” Mae slides to his side and presses herself into him.

“I know enough.” Sam assures her, as he turns to look at her one arm pulling her closer. “I know you.”

“So you don’t want to hear more?” Mae asks, her voice somewhere between hopeful and nervous.

“No, I want to hear it. I just want you to know that there is nothing that you can possibly say to change what I know about you, or how I feel about you.” Sam corrects softly. 

“Okay.” Mae rubs her head against his chest before she lays her ear over his heart.

Sam smiles as he rubs her back, waiting patiently for her to start talking. 

Mae takes a deep breath, curling more into him as she breathes and lets his heart beat sooth her. After a long pause she finally begins to tell the story, doing her best to have as few break downs as possible, though some were unable to be avoided. She tells him what Lilith asked, the games she was forced to play, the things Lilith said and did to her. She slowly stumbles her way through what the crazed demoness did to her. 

Sam does his best to talk to her, giving her his honest thoughts on the matter as he tries to ignore the twisting in his stomach. His heart breaks with every new detail, committing each mentioned sin against her to memory as he he holds her close. He noted each detail that made her flinch, and filed them away as areas to be more careful around. When he could find ways to silently comfort her; he did his best to so, softly encouraging her to continue. She needed to talk about it, just as much as he needed to know.

By the time Mae finishes talking she shaking so hard her teeth are chattering and Sam’s shirt is drenched with her tears. 

Sam pulls Mae to him, gently pressing her ear against his heart as he softly hums to her, and rubs her back. Occasionally he gives her soft whispered words of loving encouragement, and tells her in detail how he felt about her as he holds her tightly to him. 

“Sam?” Mae moves her head back so she can look up at his face.

“Yes baby?” Sam asks as he looked down at Mae with warm worried eyes.

“Thank you.” 

Sam’s brows knit together in confusion, before he gives her a small smile. “I love you.” He tells her softly as he caresses her cheek.

“I love you too.” Mae smiles as she reaches up to trace his jaw with the pads of her fingers. “I got your shirt wet.”

Sam looks down at his shirt and then back to Mae. “So?” He asks with a lazy smile. “It’ll dry.”

Mae chuckles and shakes her head. “I guess it will.”

“Though, I guess I should get out of it…” Sam admits with a groan as he slowly releases her to sit up and pull off his shirt.

“Right. Can’t have you catching a cold because of me.” Mae teases as she sits up on the bed.

“No.” Sam denies as he drops his shirt to the floor, before he lays back down. He turns, scooping Mae’s waist with one arm, before he shifts her onto his chest. “But I figured you didn’t want your face in it.” He smiles at her as he leans down and kisses her forehead.

“Also true.” Mae lets out a contented sigh as she settles against him. “You’re the best, I hope you know that.”

Sam lets out a derisive breath. “I love you so much.” He concedes as he looks into her verdian eyes and smiles at her.

Mae frowns. “I mean it Sam. You really are amazing.”

“Well, I guess there had to be some reason I’m lucky enough to be with you.” Sam teases as he leans down and kisses the frown off her lips. 

“Can we just lay here for awhile and not think about anything outside the room?” Mae asks after he breaks their kiss.

“Of course baby.” Sam agrees as he rubs her back, just enjoying the feeling of touching her like this. He had missed this. He always felt so normal when he was able to just spend a quiet moment with her like this. If she was done talking he wasn’t going to push, he’d been left with a lot to think about, and he finally had a starting point. He had enough to maybe start helping her now. “Whatever you need, just let me know.”


	12. Chapter 10

30.

“I got a call from Rufus and Ellen, they could really use our help.” Bobby informs the guys.

“What’s up?”

“Towns overrun with demons. They, they got Jo. We need to go in as back up.” Bobby explains further. “The sooner we get going the better.” He sighs anxiously. He really hated asking for their help, but with Jo being possessed it seemed best to have all hands on deck before it was too late to save her.

“Lilly’s still out of it-” Dean begins with a frown. She wasn’t even looking better either. She was still just as pale as when she’d passed out last night.

“I know… But she’s got Mae...” Bobby sighs as he rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t feel comfortable leaving the gidjits alone either, but they’re about as safe as they’re going to be. We got the wards up. Ain’t nothin’ gettin’ in here. We all had a hand in starting this shit, so we best be there to clean it up.”

“I’ll get Sam.” Dean stands from the table and heads towards the basement.

“Good, I’ll start packing.” Bobby grunts before heading out of the room.

31.

“Fuck. I feel like shit.” Lilly grunts to herself before she notices the lack of warmth in bed with her. She looks around her room with a frown. What time was it? She forces herself out of bed, and stumbles to the bathroom for a shower. The hot water helps her stiff muscles before she exits and slowly gets ready for the day. It had been a while since she felt this shitty, and she was concerned about it. What the fuck had been controlling Mae’s dream like that? She frowns as she finishes her make-up. She needed to speak with Bobby or Thoth; she needed answers not more questions. She sighs as she shakes her head and heads downstairs. 

She looks around the empty kitchen in confusion before she shakes it off and begins making tea. She perks up when she hears voices nearing the kitchen’s back door. She’d been pretty positive Castiel had mentioned being on a hunt for his wayward father. She shrugs as she takes a seat at the table with her mug. She needed to get on top of the wards too, Castiel couldn’t be locked out forever. She frowns as she takes a sip, and pulls a piece of paper and pen towards her. She needed to start prioritizing, which meant it was time for a list.

“Thank you Cass, I’m sorry for bothering you again.” Mae says as she walks in through the door with an overflowing basket in her arms.

“You are not bothering me Elizabeth. It is necessary for you to call me before you go into your garden.” Castiel tells her sternly as he stands outside the door.

“Angel, Harpy, sup?” Lilly greets as she adds ‘Lucifer’ and ‘Swords…’ to the growing list.

“Lilly, you should be resting. You are still not well.” Castiel greets Lilly with concern as he looks her over. He was hoping some rest would have helped, though it seemed to be a slower process than normal. He wished to speak to her about the dream. But as his eyes dart between the two girls he finds himself doubtful of Lilly’s willingness to talk in front of Mae or even come and walk with him outside.

“Lilly!” Mae chirps happily, glad to see her moving around again. The house had been so quiet since the men had left to help the other hunters out. She sets her basket down on the table and wraps her arms around Lilly.

“I’m fine Cass.” Lilly assures Castiel with a lazy wave, before she returned Mae’s hug. “Where are the guys?” She asks curiously, positive they were gone if Mae had the angel sitter.

“Rufus called with an all hunters on deck thing.” Mae says quietly, still worried about the guys and Bobby rushing off to a town of demons.

“Well, look at that, took it long enough to start… Why aren’t you with them?” Lilly asks Mae as she stands to go sit on the bench closer to where Castiel was forced to stand. 

“Because Elizabeth is still recovering. You both need rest, and I expect you both to do so.” Castiel informs them sternly, even going as far as to cross his arms in front of his chest in an oddly human action.

Lilly looks at Castiel’s unexpectedly firm tone with a raised eyebrow. “Heard.” She mumbles, not up to arguing with the angels authority. Especially not when she was sure he was reporting to Dean.

“Yes Cass.” Mae sighs in defeat. She knew he was right, she wasn’t better yet; no matter how much she tried to pretend she was. 

“Good. I have to go. Eat and then go rest Lilly. Elizabeth, please make sure Lilly doesn’t do anything reckless.” Castiel states looking between the two girls, not liking how quickly Lilly had agreed.

“Hey, I’m older, and make good… decent… Okay decisions.” Lilly defends herself weakly, rolling her eyes at how bad she was with her own conviction. 

“We’ll be good Cass.” Mae assures him with a smile.

“Right. Please pray or call if you need anything.” Castiel says as he looks between the two girls expectantly.

“Right.” The girls say at the same time.

Castiel nods in approval before he disappears with a flap of wings.

“Ugh…” Lilly groans as she looks over to Mae. “So you’re what, babysitting me now?” She asks eyeing her sister skeptically.

“Nope. We’re baking and decorating cupcakes for Devon. I uh… Snagged your phone… Dean got your keys to Khonsu though, so sorry. Not that you look like you're up to driving him anyways.” Mae smiles impishly at her sister, pulling Lilly’s phone from her pocket and handing it to her. They definitely needed a distraction, and this was the perfect one.

“Oooh, that was bad Mae.” Lilly remarks a smile curving her lips.

“Devon already dropped off the bag.” Mae says as she walks out of the room coming back with a gallon bag full of pills.

“You accepted- Ugh… You’re gonna get me killed by your behemoth.” Lilly mutters as she plucks the list off the table and adds ‘taking care of herself’ to the bottom of her list of priorities. 

32.

“You went into that place?” Mae asks, sounding rather impressed as she looks over her shoulder at Lilly.

“Well, I mean, I didn’t really want too.” Lilly shifts in discomfort as she gets out of the car. She looks at the nine trays in the back seat, unsure how she felt about roping Mae into her new hobby. She lets out a sigh and shrugs it off. Twenty seven hundred dollars was a lot of money for cupcakes. And this didn’t go against any of her tenants. She also figured some untraceable cash wouldn’t hurt the next time they were picking a hotel. It’s not like they could just pull it out from her account now.

“I’m proud of you. I don’t even want to go in there.” Mae admits, hating the cold look of the abandoned warehouse. “But I’m going to, because you did.”

“Yeah, well it’s not completely disgusting in there.” Lilly sighs laying her head to the glass.

“HEY CUPCAKE!” An eccentrically clad man calls from the door of the ware house.

“Friend of yours?” Mae asks in surprise. Lilly didn’t make friends easily.

“Killian.” Lilly sighs. “Friend is a strong word.” She mutters under her breath, before she turns around to lean against the door. She watches as the cocky man approach with apprehension, her eyes wandering over his typical sunglasses at night, fur and bright colors, chest bared for the world to see swagger. At least he was consistently a douche bag.

“Sup Cupcake? You’re a bitch to get a hold of.” Killian greets before wrapping an arm around the girl to pull her close. He ignores her weak flailing as he looks to her friend. “Name’s Killian, and you must be Mae. I’m sure it’s a pleasure to meet me. You would hang out with her, wouldn’t you cupcake.” He brings up his other hand to ruffle Lilly’s hair, ignoring her growls.

Mae tilts her head to the side in confusion. “Uh, hi-” Mae starts to say before Lilly decides she’s had enough with her personal space being invaded.

“Let go, Killian.” Lilly snaps at the much larger man, as she pinches his side in warning. “Off. And stop with the Cupcake.”

“Skipping to foreplay so soon, cupcake?” Killian smiles smoothly with a waggle of his eyebrows, unconcerned by her threat, as he keeps his hold on her. He leisurely looks over Mae, shrugging before he turns back to Lilly. “You bring the goods?” 

“I hate you! Let me the fuck go.” Lilly growls as she let go of his side as if his skin burned her. A deep blush begins coloring her pale skin.

Mae smiles at Lilly, finding the relationship between the two to be funny

“Ignore her, she adores me.” Killian dismisses Lilly’s concerns with a charming smile. “So cupcakes?” He asks as he pulls the squirming girl even closer to him with a massive muscular arm before he turns his focus completely to Mae.

“Yep, right here. We’re going to need help getting them in.” Mae says as she turns to open the door. It was hard to hide her amusement at the situation, Lilly always made interesting friends when she wasn’t around. But it had always been that way. Having her amulet now just made the process a whole lot less violent.

“Not a problem, Sexy.” Killian smiles as he releases the short girl, dodging her weak attempt to punch him as she grumbled curses under her breath. He walks over and picks up five of the trays with ease. “You gonna stick around ta set up again, Cupcake?” 

“Hey! Money jackass.” Lilly snaps as she glares at him with a frown on her lips.

“Aw, she was going to trust me to give her the money.” Killian pouts, placing the trays on the hood of the car, as he pulled out two rolls of cash and hands them to Lilly.

“Mae.” Lilly growls, eyes narrowed at the man as she takes the cash. 

“What? I don’t know how this works.” Mae says with a slight blush across her nose and cheeks.

“Ugh…” Lilly groans, shaking her head as she throws the cash into her purse before throwing it under the back seat.

“She’s adorable.” Killian states as he picks up the five trays again before heading towards the warehouse. Two men rush over to take them before he turns and comes back for the last four. “So you two staying for the fun?” He asks, pulling the last four out before Lilly slams the doors shut and locks the car.

“The fun?” Mae asks, looking at Lilly.

“Yeah, it’s one hell of a party. Couldn’t talk Cupcake here into staying last time, but you look like you know how to have fun.” Killian tilts his head towards the warehouse. “She needs to set up anyways.” 

“We’re just setting up.” Lilly grumbles rolling her eyes as she grabs her sister's hand and starts pulling her towards the warehouse, following after Killian.

“Cupcake, you wound me. What is it going to take to get you to relax a bit?” Killian asks.

“I told you last time, my name is Lilly, not cupcake. I have no interest in this crap, nor your shitty taste in music.” Lilly growls at the man, obviously flustered.

“Oh come on, you gotta let loose, I bet your a great dancer. You too. You both should stay.” Killian insists as someone opens the door to the warehouse. 

Lilly pulls Mae along with her as she kept trying to stop and look at the flashy decorations. 

“Why does it always look like candy mountain threw up in here?” Lilly asks with disdain, as she pulls Mae towards the dessert table.

“I was going to go with it looks like Candyland the board game. This is neat.” Mae says, looking around at all the neon bright colors

“See, she gets it.” Killian nods in appreciation as he puts down the trays and watches Lilly’s eye twitch. 

Lilly stares at the table before she lets go of Mae’s hand and starts reorganizing it.

“Do you need help Lilly?” Mae asks as she moves the trays out of her way.

“Just, so, ugh, how do people tie their own shoelaces in the morning, what is this?” Lilly grouses moving the contents around into a more organized presentation, in the order of Roy G Biv.

“She always like this?” Killian asks making his way over to Mae, wrapping his arm around her shoulder laying his head on it as he watches the short girl with lazy interest.

“Uh, yeah, usually. So, you run raves?” Mae asks.

“Yep, for a couple years now.” Killian comments with a cocky smirk that oozed of arrogance.

“That’s, uh, nice?” Mae says uncertainly, not knowing how to act around this stranger.

“Nice? No. Amazing, fantastic? More appropriate. I’m one of the best. You, my fair sexy lady, should feel honored to be in my presence. I’m that great. You two would know that if you had any taste. Her...” Killian points at Lilly. “I don’t get, but you, you seem like you have better sense than that. You should stay, experience the heaven I offer.”

“It does sound fun, and looks awesome. And yes, I love music and dancing-”

“Good, then you’ll stay.” Killian quickly pulls her tight in a side hug.

“And done.” Lilly turns around, her smile of accomplishment quickly replaced with a scowl at the man touching Mae. “Let go of my Harpy, you douche!” She says storming over to the two of them. “You. Don’t you have music to go ruin? Shoo.” She growls pulling at Mae’s arm.

Killian grabs his side as he laughs, keeping his other arm around Mae.“Wait, hold on, I have to go through the list of all the wrongs in that sentence. One, Harpy? Really, that’s your name for her, that is so,” He pauses, searching for the word, “mmm, gross. Two, I enhance music. I have followers that love my remixes. Three, your’s? Like you guys are together? Is that what keeps coming between us cupcake?”

Lilly’s eye twitches. “There is nothing besides lucrative business transactions between us, your music is shit and she’s my family. Also, we have boyfriends, so let her the fuck go.”

“Where are they?” Killian asks, a challenge in his eyes.

“Wor-It doesn’t matter, let her go!” Lilly says her own eyes flashing gold with anger.

“She said she would stick around for a bit, she seems to appreciate my art.” Killian states with a dismissive shrug.

“Mae, no, this place is an oozing cesspool of shit. I’ll bring you to a less shady club.” Lilly assures her sister before she turns back to Killian. “And this Candyland knock off ain’t art. It’s a shitty Kesha set.” Lilly snaps stomping her foot angrily as she glared at him.

“You’re so cute when you get all angry.” Killian smiles, still chuckling at her expense. 

Lilly growls in response, and snaps her teeth at him in frustration. “I am not cute. I am not angry. We are leaving.”

Mae, not able to get a word in between them, slowly raises her hand.

“What babe?” Killian asks still laughing at Lilly.

“She is not your babe! Ugh-Where were you fucking raised?” Lilly growls, screeching as the larger man steps away from Mae and pulls her towards him. He easily flips her so her back was pressed to his bare chest as he cups his hand over her mouth.

“Sorry you were saying?” Killian asks holding the irate Lilly close to him. Looking to Mae with interest. He smiles when Lilly has the audacity to bite him.

Mae just stands there in shock, her mouth slightly opened in her surprise. “Uh, you should just let her go.”

“Nah, Cupcake’ll be fine, I’m interested in what you were going to say.” Killian smoothly asks, as he dismisses her concern.

“Hmm, I was just going to point out that I never said I wanted to stay, just that I found it interesting. We don’t have to stay if you don’t want to Lilly.”

“You sure?” Killian asks as he looks her over. “You look tense, nothing helps a girl like you unwind like some dancing.” He offers shrewdly. “Won’t even charge you the cover. Not that you couldn’t afford it with what this lil Cupcake is chargin me.” He chuckles as Lilly sinks her teeth into his palm roughly out of spite. “She’s a biter.” He winces as Lilly bites a little harder in warning.

“Can I talk to Lilly for a moment?” Mae asks, smiling at the man gripping her still struggling friend.

“Sure thing Babe, I’ll just be in my booth. Come get me before you go, so we can set up our next arrangement- But I have a feeling you’ll want to stay for this.” Killian finally concedes as he releases Lilly, and laughs at the weak punch she lays into his chest.

“Jackass!” Lilly seethes her eyes narrowed at Killian’s retreating form; feeling livid.

“Are you sure you two aren’t friends? You bit him.” Mae asks, walking closer to her.

“I don’t just...No we’re not friends. He’s a jackass.” Lilly sighs as she shakes her head and turns back to Mae.

“We don’t have to stay Lilly, it’s just neat looking, that’s all.” Mae says soothingly, going to collect the stackable trays

Lilly looks her friend over appraisingly; noting the disappointment. “Ugh… You want to stay don’t you?” She accuses her after a moment.

“I think so, I mean. Like I said, it looks cool. I’d like to see what it looks like all together. And he does remixes, that sounds awesome, I just didn’t want to say that in front of him.” Mae admits quietly to her, feeling more and more excited.

“Gods… Fine.” Lilly curses. “Fuck it! Just don’t like, eat, drink, or touch anything.” She sighs after a moment, not wanting to take the obvious hope from her sister. “Let’s go put the trays away. Whatever. Just, fuck- We need to be careful. One-Okay, two hours that’s it. And it stays between us. Otherwise it will be both our asses.” She warns Mae with a frown.

Mae lets out a small shriek of delight as she dances on the balls of her feet. “Deal, thank you Lilly!” She says as she wraps her arms around the shorter girl, spinning in a circle with her.

“Yeah.” Lilly says into her neck as she pats Mae’s back, not happy with the situation, but glad Mae was actually excited about something. “Right, let's go put the trays up and not think about the million ways us staying is going to backfire horribly.”

“We really don’t have to... You know what, you’re right. We should go home, we’ve already bent the rules enough.” Mae says placatingly, suddenly remembering all the reasons they shouldn’t stay. Like angels and demons being after them. 

“Mmm… Yeah, but I mean… It’s just two hours. Noone will even have to know. Just promise when I pull you off the dance floor, you don’t pout.” Lilly sighs as she struggles to pick up the four trays Mae had left. She frowns as she finally get’s a good grip on them and looked around the empty warehouse. How busy was this shit hole really going to get anyways? And what were the chances of a demon or angel actually showing up in a place like this when they were out hunting the wascally Winchesters?

“Are you sure?” Mae asks as they turn to leave.

“About as sure as I am about anything.” Lilly smiles with a half shrug.

“We promised Cass we’d be good. We are not being good right now.” Mae points out, giving Lilly one last chance to walk away from this offer before she took her up on it.

“That’s so relative, we were being responsible business women.” Lilly says with a smile, laughing slightly at the blatant falsehood. Both girls freeze as a pounding bass line starts thrumming through the speakers and the room goes dark for a moment before the light flickers back on.

“Which is why we should leave before this becomes not business.” Mae agrees so much more tempted to stay, with the music and lights.

“Hey if you really don’t wanna stay, I ain’t twisting your arm.” Lilly sighs as they pick up the pace towards the door. She let’s out a defeated sigh however when she feels an arm wrap around her.

“Ladies.” Killian greets smoothly. “Where are you two going?”

“Just, you know, responsibly taking the trays to the car.” Mae says, nearly itching to get lost in the high energy dance music.

“Sorry, I know you don’t like the dark cupcake, I noticed you both froze.” Killian says lowly.

“Yo, I am not afraid of the dark.” Lilly defends staunchly before she shakes her head. “Look we’re not staying, but thanks for your gracious invitation.” She comments attempting to duck out of the man’s arm, only to be dragged closer. “Anyone ever tell you your fucking obnoxious?” She snaps at him.

“We really should go.” Mae admits as she reaches for Lilly.

“Really babe? You seemed all excited before. You’re gonna miss one pretty sweet show. I’m one hell of an entertainer.” Killian smirks smugly before pulling the trays from Lilly’s arms. “You look like shit, and no. People fucking idolize me, there’s obviously something wrong with you.” He teases Lilly.

“I should get her home, she hasn’t been feeling well. But thank you for the invitation. Maybe next time?” Mae continues, taking advantage of Lilly’s stunned silence.

“That so Cupcake?” Killian asks as he looks over Lilly with a critical eye. “That why you’ve been so hard to get a hold of?” He asks as he continues walking with them.

“I’m fine. I always look like shit, and we’re going.” Lilly snaps at him going for the trays as he easily dodges her slowed movements. 

“Hey, take these trays and put them to the side.” Killian snaps at a couple of the tech people wandering around making last minute touches. 

Two men quickly wander over and take the trays before they disappear into the front of the warehouse.

“You look like you want to dance. Just stay for a little. I’m sure you two will be fine, for just a little bit.” Killian begins to hum along with the music as he looks between the two girls.

Mae looks around the room, agreeing easily with his assessment that she wanted to dance, the song currently playing was a good one. She could almost feel the music in her bones; but she looked at Lilly, knowing that she really should take care of her sister.

“Come on babe. Stay. I’ll watch Cupcake. She looks like she needs a babysitter.” 

“I am fine, and I don’t need a fucking babysitter. Ten minutes Mae... Ten minutes. One dance.” Lilly snaps, rising to Killians carefully laid bait.

“Really?” Mae asked quietly.

“Yeah, I’m timing you.” Lilly warns as she crosses her arms over her chest.

“You’ll come get me?” Mae asks, taking a few steps towards the center of the big room.

“Yeah, I’ll fucking find your ass.” Lilly sighs as she shakes her head, watching as Mae practically skipped away.

“So what exactly are you two?” Killian asks her hand on her shoulder as he directs her to his booth. “I mean, you two are an odd combination.” He continues humming to the music. 

“Excuse me?” Lilly asks as she rubs at her temples, her eyes focused on Mae, as she begins humming to the music, almost absently.

“Just, you know. There’s something different about both of you.” Killian continues with a smile as he went back to humming.

“I dunno? You mean like… What? Us being sisters?” Lilly responds as she begins to feel nauseous and dizzy. She follows him up the steps slowly, part of her noticing the room becoming more crowded. Her eyes narrow as she worked to keep track of Mae in the moving crowd.

“You’re not her sister.” Killian states. “Not blood anyway.”

“Well, no, not blood related. But still sisters.” Lilly says absently, grabbing the rusty railing in front of her as she loses Mae, and the rest of the room when her vision begins to blur.

“Weird… You’re a bit close for sisters…” Killian chuckles before he tilts his head to the side and continues. “But I’m actually asking what you both are. More you, I know she’s part Fae something. Which, also intriguing.”

“What? Fae- What are you...” Lilly falters as she locks her knees to keep from falling, her eyes struggling to stay open as a wave of nausea sends her to her knees.

“Cupcake?” Killian asks, concerned as he bends down, waving his hand in front of her face. 

“Jack as-” Lilly grumbles swiping at his hand before she falls backwards unconscious.

“Oops.” Killian shrugs as he bends to pick her up, slipping into the door behind his set up. He walks over and dropping her on the well used mattress. “Well… That was unexpected.” He mumbles as he scratches the back of his head. He stares at her for another moment before he slips out of the room, locking the door behind him.

.33.

Lilly looks down at the comic book in her lap. Why was she in her moon chair? When had she gotten home? Where was Mae? She shakes her head and tries to stand, but the world spins and she sinks back into the pillows tucked around her. Why was she so weak?

“Thank god you woke up.” Dean smiles at her as he walks into her vision.

Lilly tilts her head as she looks up at Dean with furrowed eyebrows. He was awfully happy to see her. Was she dreaming? She was pretty sure she’d just done something stupid. “Sorry?” She tests cautiously as she forces herself to sit up. She rubs at her eyes as she blinks at him.

“Take it easy. I’m not sure what drained you, but you’re pretty weak right now.” Dean leans over her and presses one hand to her forehead as his brow furrows in concern.

“Nothing drained me.” Lilly sighs as she pushes Dean’s hand away weakly as annoyance ran through her. “I’m fine.”

Dean tilts his head as he looks her over. “You’re not fine. You’re dying.”

Lilly rolls her eyes. “What the fuck?” She breathes out as she shakes her head. “I am not dying, you're just paranoid.”

“Something has drained you. Where did you go?” Dean asks sternly.

“Nothing drained me.” Lily snaps. “I didn’t go anywhere.” She lies with a frown. Was this her subconscious running scenarios with her? It wouldn’t be the first time. She was obviously asleep. Dean’s reaction to the word ‘fine’ was much too reasonable. 

“I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.” Dean narrows his eyes. “Where did you go?”

“I didn’t go anywhere.” Lilly denies as she waves her hand dismissively. “

“Then why are you ill?” Dean asks, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“I’m not. You know this is just from the Mae thing. Let it go.” Lilly argues as she looks to Dean with a raised eyebrow.

Dean lets out a sigh. “Are you always this stubborn or is this because you hate feeling weak?”

Lilly’s eyes narrow as she jumps to her feet at the slight. “I am fine Winchester!” She snaps as the room spins around her.

Dean catches her. “All you have done is prove my point. You are barely clinging to life. If it weren’t for the second soul you posses, you would have succumbed to death.”

Lilly looks up to Dean and just snorts. “How is your paranoia slipping into my dreams?” She asks as she attempts to push him away from her. “I’m fine.” 

Dean lifts an eyebrow at her, easily keeping ahold of her in her weakened state. “You know you are dreaming?”

“Uh, yeah.” Lilly comments as she blinks up at the oddly self-aware dream Dean. “I swear only in my fucking head.” She sighs in defeat as she, blinks and finds herself on the couch. She pulls her feet up and looks at him. “So, what fucking happened that you're convinced I’m dying anyways?” She asks with an appraising look. “This is odd even by my standards.”

Dean lets out a sigh and shakes his head. “I don’t know what is happening to you right now. I just know that you are dangerously weak. You need to tell me where you are so I can save you.”

Lilly tilts her head to the side and looks Dean over with a quizzical eyebrow. There was something odd going on here and she didn’t like it. Everything felt odd to her; cold. She frowns at the thought. “You realize you're a part of my subconscious right? If you don’t know, then I certainly don’t.” 

Dean smirks. “Do you fight with your subconscious often?”

“Shouldn’t you know that?” Lilly responds with a shrug as she looks at the smirk on Dean’s lips. It looked wrong. What the fuck was going on? What was this? 

Dean sits next to her on the couch. “Maybe I’m just trying to help you figure out how to save yourself. You know you don’t have much time left.”

“Yeah, except I don’t know that…” Lilly comments as she looks to Dean with a skeptical look.

Dean sighs and takes her hands into his. “Samara, we really don’t have time for this identity crisis. Trust me when I say you are dying. I can feel your energy slipping away. Tell me where you are so I can fix this.”

Lilly let’s out a hollow laugh. “Okay. What is this? Is it a Regina thing?” She asks with a raised eyebrow as she brings her hand up to her temple and rubs. This was probably the most surreal dream she’d had in years. “Fuck. That sonovabitch slipped me something didn’t he.” She curses as she pinches the bridge of her nose. She turns to look at Dean. “Look, I’m sorry but I really don’t have the energy for this shit right now.”

“That is the first truth you’ve spoken. You don’t have the energy for anything right now. We are running out of time.” Dean pulls her hands back into his.

“Well that’s not entirely true, I’m managing to irritate you. That’s some energy, since I don’t really feel irritated. But, I’m sorry. I really am not up for these mind games right now.”

“Samara, tell me where you are this instant.” Dean orders, his eyes narrowing once more.

Lilly lifts her brow. “No.” She scoffs.

“Do not be a child about this. Tell me where you are or you will die. I can not help you if I can not find you.”

Lilly tilts her head to her side and thinks about it. “Heard. I think I understand. This is some type of weird self imposed fucking guilt trip. Right. This is a first, usually this type of stunt is reserved for mediation.”

Dean shakes his head and blinks at her several times. “I- I don’t even know what to do with this. You are a mess. How am I supposed to work with this? It’s like you want to die.”

“Uh yeah no shit… What is this Maat mixed in now too? We are particularly uselessly self aware today aren’t we? Amun-fucking-Ra what am I on?” Lilly sighs as she shakes her head.

Dean rolls his eyes. “You would mention heretics…”

Lilly looks taken aback for a moment. “And Cass. Great.” She hangs her head as she allows herself to slump into the couch. “Well, I’m oddly critical today.” She sighs as she rests her head on the arm of the sofa lazily.

Dean sighs in exasperation. “Samara, tell me where you are. You have to feel yourself slipping away.”

“And?” Lilly asks with a yawn. 

“You are dying! Why are you withholding the information I need to save your life?” Dean shouts at her.

“Why do you think I need you to save my life?” Lilly asks as she positions her arms under her head. “Is this healthy or arrogant?” She wonders out loud.

“Because you are dying!” Dean continues to shout. “Why are you risking this?

Lilly takes a deep breath before she turns to look at the poor impersonation of Dean. “Risking what exactly?” She asks genuinely confused. “Angering some piss poor imitation of my family? I’m not even sure what insecurity you’ve crawled out of but feel free to return to it at any time.” 

“If you die your family isn’t going to be the only ones pissed about.” Dean grabs her by the shoulders.

“Well, good thing I’m not dying.” Lilly scoffs as she feels the room grow colder. She rolls her eyes. “Oh for fucking Osiris-sakes, are you part fucking ghost to?”

“Do you lie to yourself all the time or is this a special occasion?” Dean asks as he shakes her.

“Uh yeah.” Lilly scoffs as she lifts her hand to rub at her sore neck. “And seriously, do you really have any room to be acting like you're any better?” She asks scathingly.

“Samara!” Dean snaps in a commanding voice.

“Insecurity!” Lilly snaps back in a mocking tone.

Dean slumps back against the couch. 

“There you go, that’s the spirit.” Lilly chuckles in satisfaction.

“What have I gotten myself into? Is this really what I have to look forward to?” Dean lets out a sigh.

“Seriously what hole did you crawl from?” Lilly questions Dean with a lazy quirked brow.

“Who have you been talking to Samara? Someone has done something to you and you are dying! Just tell me where you are so I can heal you.”

“Yeah, no shit. I’m staring at the result of that poor, shitty judgement. Me and Mr. Sunglasses at night will be discussing the complementary LSD trip when I wake up.” Lilly responds with a roll of her eyes. 

“I do not understand what that means.” Dean groans.

“Cass again.” Lilly sighs as she looks Dean over with a raised eyebrow. “I’m not explaining that to an angel, ask one of your other personality matrixes.” She mumbles as she shifts on the couch into a more comfortable position.

“You are very frustrating. Why won’t you just tell me where you are?”

“Because I really am not up for this game.” Lilly yawns as she nuzzles into the couch.

“This is not a game. Tell me where you are and I’ll leave you alone.”

“Thoth, you’re persistent. We’re at Candyland, happy?” Lilly yawns out as she rubs her eyes. 

“You are going to have to be more specific than that.” Dean says as he sits up and stares at her intently.

Lilly buries her head into her arms. “The warehouse… Making shit decisions. We good?”

Dean shakes his head. “It’s enough to start looking. Thank you Samara.” He stands and bows to her before he disappears.


	13. Chapter 11

34.

Mae easily loses herself in the music. Her body moves both gracefully and energetically to the beat, all thoughts of the outside world lost to her as she lives in this singular moment. Unaware even of the groups of people around her pressing in on her as they all danced. The ten minutes Lilly had granted her came and went, as did the past four hours. She could realize that there were music changes, and at one point she was sure she heard Killian talking, perhaps even singing. She felt the euphoria she was experiencing heightened as more people gathered around her. Oblivious to their closeness in her state, as she let the bliss of the moment wash over her. She was feeling better than she had in weeks as she continued her dance, her worries and fears leaving her as emotions wrapped around her like a comforting blanket.

It feels like only a moment has passed when a hand on her shoulder halts her movement. She blinks up at the face, as if coming out of a daze. 

“You're stealing the spotlight Chemical X, seriously, come with me for a minute.” Killian says with a smile, having separated the crowd, with ease. 

“Oh, Killian.” Mae greats with a large smile as she takes a deep breath.

“Come on Chem, follow me.” Killian instructs, his arm dropping as he grips her hand and starts dragging her through the crowd. He walks her up to his booth, reaching under it to hand her an unopened bottle of water. “Here. Drink it.”

“What’s going on? Lilly told me not to drink anything…” Mae responds cautiously even as she takes the bottle. “Hey, where is Lilly? It’s definitely been ten minutes.” She continues with a frown realizing for the first time she was covered in a light sheen of sweat.

“I think she meant open bottles Chem, and speaking of your darling little sis, she’s passed out in the backroom.” Killian chuckles. “She’s fine, guess she’s not over her bug.”

“Little?” Mae questions with a chuckle. 

“She’s like five foot nothing.” Killian comments as he messes with the knobs and dials in front of him. “Drink it, I wouldn’t waste the good shit on you.” He reassures her with a smug smirk.

“Thanks… I think-” Mae rolls her eyes, opening the bottle to sip at it, only to down the bottle quickly in just a few gulps. “We should go.” She finishes, looking to the crowd having fun with desire, just wanting to be back down in the thick of it. 

Killian nods as he sings along with the song currently blasting through the speakers, as he watched her from the corner of his eye, behind his shades. He waits til she’s done drinking the water before he nods at her. “Perform with me. I haven’t had a worthy partner in a minute. It will be fun.”

“Perform?” Mae asks, distracted by her concern for Lilly and the pull of the crowd.

“Yeah, dance and sing a little. It will be fun. You look like a Nelly and Timberlin fan, I have just the one. Then you can take the lil cupcake home.” Killian promises with a smile.

“Sure, sounds fun.” Mae admits with a smile.

“Oh, I’m sure it will be.” Killian says hitting several switches. “Here.” He says, shoving something into the back pocket of her jeans before he clips a headset and bead mic on her head, arranging her hair around it. “Now we match.” He turns back to the crowd, reaching back to click a switch on his battery pack. the current song fades as it reaches the end. “Ok guys, I’ve got something extra special for you all tonight. My good friend Chemical X and I are going to sing for you all! What do we think of that?”

A roar of applause and accolades are cheered back. Half the crowd shifts to grab for their phones or cameras. A thrum of a excitement fills the room like an electrical pulse, bathing Mae in the pure euphoria it.

Killian grabs her hand and walks her down the stairs to the center of the room, smiling smugly. He stops in the dead center of the room, leaning over to click her mic on. They state walking around each other, as if sizing each other up when Promiscuous’ base starts blaring from the speaker. They both begin to dance in an almost synchronized fashion. Killian easily matching Mae’s more eccentric moves, after studying her for the last couple of hours.

The two fall into a groove playing off each other, almost as if they had planned the whole performance out. Mae sings the female’s parts as Killian sings the male’s. They grind up on each other in an intimate dance that nearly had sparks shooting off them.

Mae actually surprises herself about how much the touching wasn’t bothering her as she all but drank in the crowds encouragement, feeling almost as if it was charging her. She was shocked with how alive she felt with just a little bit of dancing. It was like magic how her fears and anxieties just seemed to float away. It felt almost instinctual with Killian as they both danced their parts. She had to admit that he was the best dance partner she had ever had. She was loving how the two of them fed off each other and the crowd. 

The crowd goes wild as the song switches and the two entertainers stop. The room’s cheers block out the next song that comes on. They were both panting, but Mae was feeling incredibly energized as they beamed at each other. 

Killian leans over and clicks off her headset before he does the same with his own.

“Wow.” Mae praises with wide eyes.

“I know right? I’m awesome.” Killian smirks cockily as he looks her over. “I’m sure with some practice, you could meet me here.” He assures her with a chuckle, as he escorted her back up to the booth.

“That was, that was incredible. I’ve never felt that before, wait, That’s not what I meant. That was just fun. I haven’t dance with anyone like that.” Mae rambles, not caring, as her endorphins ran through her.

“Huh, you should come to more of these.” Killian says looking over at her and nodding as if something just clicked. “I don’t just dance with anyone like that X, consider yourself special.” He says with a smug smile, pulling two water bottles out; he forces one into her hands before he messes with the knobs and dials again. “I mean, Cupcake, I’d be interested in, but she’s a bitch to get to agree to anything. I’ll get her too though, I’m taking it as a personal challenge.” He chuckles.

“Good luck with that endeavour. She, she is Lilly.” Mae sips at the water.

“I don’t need luck, I’ll get cupcake.” Killian says with an audacious amount of confidence.

“You’re something else…” Mae says with an eye roll, not sure how any one person could be made of so much confidence.

“Not the only one.” Killian comments vaguely sending her a rakish smile, before turning back setting up the next several sets. As he egged on the crowd with enthusiasm. 

Mae tilts her head to the side, giving him a questioning look before she drains her water bottle.

“So you going to keep dancing? It’s been a couple of hours. Your ‘boyfriends’ give you two curfews?”

“Something like that…” Mae replies softly, thinking it probably best to head back soon.

Killian nods his head, “I’ll be right back with Cupcake, don’t wander off.” He tells her as he slips into a back room Mae hadn’t even noticed.

Mae runs her hands up her arms, loving the way it felt like energy was crackling under her skin. She spaces as she watches the lights and people dancing under them, swaying to the beat. 

“Mae… I think it’s been longer than ten minutes.” Lilly yawns walking over to her sister out of her daze, feeling better than she had in awhile.

“Right. Thanks Killian. It was fun.” Mae says with a smile.

“Got to take care of my investments.” Killian shrugs, looking slightly different. “I’ll have Devon contact you. Try to be more available Chem, Cupcake. I don’t want parties without your presence, or cupcakes.” He continues obviously dismissing them.

“Uh huh, you do that.” Lilly sighs just wanting to get out of the too small of a building. She escorts her sister down the stairs noting the way her sister swayed lazily. She frowned. Fuck, did both of them end up getting drugged? She sighed as she held Mae’s hand tighter, adding it to the growing list of concerns. What fucking drug could he possibly have given Mae without her getting sick? She frowns as she adds it to her growing list of concerns about the night.

Mae skips along, nearly tripping down the stairs as she hums The Powerpuff Girls theme song. 

Lilly keeps her from falling, shaking her head, as she notices a tech coming up the stairs with several cupcakes as they worm their way out of the building, keeping close to the walls. She looks around in confusion at the people cheering ‘Chemical X’ as they walk by; she easily brushes them off. She could already hear the ensuing lecture. She needed to get them both home; she was just praying the guys didn’t know.

35.

Lilly sighs as she pulls the car into the garage. She looks over at her sister who was still tracing patterns in condensation on the window, and lets out a deep breath of acceptance when she see’s Thoth leaning against Dean’s work bench with a look of pure disapproval. She groans when she notices Castiel standing a few feet away in a mirrored pose of disappointment.

Lilly turns and shakes Mae’s arm. “Dude… Fuck. Outta the car. Cass and Thoth are here.” 

“You have stars on your face.” Mae beams as she leans closer to Lilly and pokes her finger into her cheek. “Right there.”

“Great.” Lilly sighs as she unbuckles Mae. “Come on.” She sighs.

Mae’s brow furrows and she tilts her head to the side. “What’s wrong Lilly?”

Lilly pulls her hand through her hair. “I’m dead.”

Mae giggles. “No you’re not.”

“No…Not yet.” Lilly agrees as she steps out of the car. “Thoth, Cass. Sup.” She chirps as she turns to greet them with a nervous smile on her face.

“Ut oh.” Mae giggles nervously as she steps out of the car and sees the celestials standing in the garage.

“That’s right oh no.” Thoth says sternly.

“I had assurances from you both that you would not be reckless.” Castiel adds, sounding just as stern.

“I made no such claim.” Lilly defends herself staunchly, as she looks over to Mae with concern as she moves away from the celestials. She turns back to Thoth and Cass and let’s out a sigh as she runs her hands through her hair. “But we’re good, nothing happened.” 

“They are both sooo mad and worried and concerned...” Mae begins to ramble as she comes up behind Lilly.

“Oh, are they. Look at you, getting your empathy back at the worst times.” Lilly breathes out as she adjusts so Mae was at her side. She wasn’t even sure if her empathy being back was a good thing. What the hell had she taken? Was the empathy back, or was it going to leave with sobriety? Shit. She was so fucked. Was twenty seven hundred dollars really worth it? She thought back of the shitty hotels they’ve been staying at. Yes. But was it worth their safety? She shifted slightly in discomfort. Not Maes.

“Yep.” Mae nod, looking down at Lilly. “You’re so tiny.” Mae says with a smile as she pats Lilly on the top of the head.

Lilly takes a deep breath. “Yep so tiny.” She breathes out in defeat. 

“What is wrong with Elizabeth?” Castiel asks as walks over to examine Mae.

“I… Weed maybe? I mean it’s natralish. Maybe she ate a brownie… I’m not sure… I got distracted.” Lilly admits as she rubs her temples. “But, I think everything else there was synthetic so…” She clicks her tongue and shrugs. 

“You got distracted while doing what exactly?” Thoth asks with a disturbingly calm voice.

“Maybe LSD… I’m not sure…” Lilly shrugs.

Castiel tilts his head to the side. “I do not understand-”

“Yeah, I know.” Lilly sighs as she holds up her hand. “It’s a psychedelic drug that makes you hallucinate...” 

Castiel puts a hand over Mae’s forehead. “I am not detecting any foreign substances in Elizabeth’s blood.” 

“Right, but it’s a plant and she’s part Sylph so are we sure that it would even come up foreign…” Lilly points out with a frown.

Castiel shakes his head as he puts a hand over Lilly’s forehead. “There is nothing in your blood either.”

“You left your safe from angels and demons house to go to a party and do drugs?” Thoth narrows his eyes dangerously.

“Yes… Though that was not my original attention, and hey- I may have not done drugs apparently.” Lilly admits as she runs her hand through her hair. “We had the hex bags, though. And hey, obscura...” Her voice growing softer til she just trailed off.

Thoth pushes off the workbench and walks over to Mae. “Where did you two go?”

Lilly gives him the address. “It’s a pop up… That apparently doesn’t change locations, I’m not sure, I’m not familiar with raves or EDMs or what ever the fucked they’re called.”

Thoth nods at Lilly and puts a hand on both of Mae’s shoulders. “Mae, did you eat anything?” He asks as he stares into her eyes.

“No. Lilly said not to. So I didn’t. I just danced. And then I sang and danced. And then Lilly woke up. And then we left.” Mae looks from Thoth to Castiel and back. “We’re good. We got back with no problems. Lilly’s friend was super nice to us.”

Lilly facepalms and lets out a defeated sigh before she drops her hand. “For the last time, he’s not a friend. He’s a…” She pauses for a moment she really didn’t want to explain more of this shit to Castiel; he’d misquote her to the guys and it would turn to a mess. “You know what, yea fuck it. The douche is a friend.”

“Uh huh.” Thoth looks from Lilly back to Mae. “What did you take Mae.”

“I see.” Castiel states again as he turns to Mae and touches her other arm. “Her hormones and chemical levels are all over the place...” 

“I really did just dance. It makes me feel better. And then I got to perform with Killian. That was a lot of fun.” Mae smiles up at the two celestials.

Thoth narrows his eyes as he loses himself in thought for a moment. “Mae, I believe you should go up to bed. I would like to talk to you later about this though.”

“Okay.” Mae spins on the spot trying to catch her purse. “I can do that.” She smiles as she catches her bag and pulls her keys out.

“I’ll go help you get to bed.” Lilly quickly interjects as she pushes Mae towards the stairs.

“No. You’re staying right here.” Thoth states with narrowed eyes.

Lilly sighs. “I’ll check on you in a bit Mae.” She breathes as she turns to look back at Thoth.

“Right.” Mae skips over to the kitchen door and unlocks it before heading inside, skipping out of sight.

“I still can not feel you.” Thoth comments darkly, his eyes narrowing at Lilly as he folds his arms across his chest.

Lilly tilts her head to the side. “But the brand is still there.” She comments even as she attempts to check, her fingertips just barely caressing the raised skin beneath her shirt.

“And yet something is interfering with the link. Masking it.” Thoth’s jaw tenses. “I can still feel my connection to you but I am unable to locate you.”

Lilly blinks as she moves to her necklaces and pulls up the two longest from under her shirt and presents the hex bag and amulet. “Sam gave me a cloaking bag…” She sighs as she pulls the bag free of the throng and hands it to him. “Was it that?” She asks curiously.

“I see.” Thoth nods and the bag bursts into flames. “I tolerated you being masked from me when you were traveling as a group hiding from everything, but this is what prevented me from finding you tonight while you were dying.” He flips his hand, letting the ash drift from his palm.

“Wait, the hexbag actually blocked out the brand?” Lilly asks surprised as she watched the ashes float to the ground.

“Interfered.”

“Right. Keywords…” Lilly corrects as she rubs her arm nervously.

“Lilly…” Thoth presses his fingers to his temples. “Why were you dying?”

Lilly blinks. “I wasn’t. But funny you should mention it...Cause I had-”

“You nearly DIED. Do not tell me you weren’t.” Thoth corrects glaring at the girl.

“Right. You would know more than me.” Lilly says as she raises her hands up defensively. “You know, if I was dying.”

Castiel looks from Lilly to Thoth and back again. “How could you not know you were dying?”

Lilly looks between Castiel and Thoth with a raised eyebrow. “You’re both serious? But this is the best I’ve felt since Li-” She looks around worried. “This is the best I’ve felt in weeks. I mean… I just- Hmm… I mean I think- Told my instincts to fuck off…” She sighs as she rubs her temples. She’d really been convinced she’d just been having a really distorted conversation with herself in her dreams but… Maybe it was her subconscious attempting to warn her? No. She shook her head, she’d ended up telling piss poor version of dream Dean exactly where she was. And then she woke up to Killian standing over her. What the fuck had happened?

“Very serious. You seem to be in excellent health now, but you were fading fast while I was searching for you.” Thoth rubs one hand over his chin.

Lilly thinks for a moment but ends up shrugging. “I dunno, I mean, I guess I was still feeling pretty drained when we went in…And I ended up passing out.”

“You have been drained since the dream walking.” Castiel frowns at her arms crossed as he looked at her with disapproval.

“Yes. About that. What happened?” Thoth asks with a frown.

Lilly rubs the back of her neck as she thinks about it. “I’m not really sure. It was like a constant struggle with her subconscious or something. I’d never felt anything like it before. I actually wanted to talk to you about it… I wasn’t sure if her dreams were just stronger cause she was part fae or something…However I also feel like- I dunno… Just, the darkness- It just- There was distinctly something bout it that was not Mae. I just... Don’t know how to describe it.”

“Hmmm.” Thoth taps a finger against his lips, lost in thought.

Castiel watches Lilly for a moment, also lost in thought.

Lilly shifts in discomfort as both Celestials seem to stare through her for a very long minute. 

“I’m not sure what that could have been.” Castiel finally admits.

Thoth reaches out and touches two fingers to Lilly’s forehead as he concentrates for a moment before he grabs a red book appears out of nowhere. “I will need to research this.” He states as he moves his hand from her temple and grabs the book out of the air.

Lilly just nods her head. “Fair. I wanted to meditate over it, see if I missed anything.” She shrugs.

“Are you tired?” Thoth asks.

“Not as much as I have been. I legitimately feel better than I have all week.” Lilly comments as she looks up to Thoth with a raised eyebrow.

“Good, because I found something that might help your angel friend here.” Thoth comments as he gestures to Castiel.

“Really?” Lilly perks up, wiping away her concern about nearly dying for later contemplation. What had happened? She knew that magic use could affect her, leave her drained, but she hadn’t realize how subtle death could actually be. The thought scared her. She hadn’t even realized she was using her energy in Mae’s dream. She took a deep breath and shook her head. 

“It would help immensely if I was not restricted to the garage when I am trying to keep you safe.” Castiel nods, still concerned about Lilly’s near death experience and her sudden recovery.

“Let’s do it then.” Lilly claps her hands in front of herself as she looks up to Thoth with a smile. 

“It’s simple. You’re going to carve an extra symbol to each of the wards and then carve it into the angel.”

“What?” Lilly questions, pausing as she turned on her toe to look at him in disbelief. “Carve what?”

“That is acceptable.” Castiel nods after a moment's hesitation, understanding the old one to mean that she had to do it ritualistically.

“No it’s not.” Lilly counters as she turns to glare at Castiel with disbelief.

Thoth let’s out a disapproving sigh. “Why do you pray for wisdom and knowledge if you’re going to consistently squander it.” He mockingly throws his arms in the air as he does a horribly squeaky impression of Lilly. “Oh no, I don’t want to do that! Anything but that!.” He glares as he drops his hands back to his side and clears his throat. “Every time Lilly. Either you want my help, or you don’t. Choose.”

Lilly just snaps her mouth shut, and crosses her arms over her chest. “You’re right. Fine. Sorry.” She admits begrudgingly.

“So you be allowing me entrance to the house again.” Castiel asks in confusion.

Lilly’s eye twitch. “That wasn’t what I had a problem with Cass.”

“Then you will ritualistically carve into me?”

Lilly let’s out a distressed squeak. “Can we please use a different word, than carved. How about marking. I like marking. We’re using marking.” She stomps her foot in protest. 

“Right, you will be marking him ritualistically with a scalpel.” Thoth comments dryly, though his eyes crinkle with amusement. 

Lilly groans.

36.

“We sure we can’t just spiritually awaken a Sharpie or something?” Lilly breathes out, as prepares the ingredients and tools for the ritual, the smoke from the incense cleansing the smell of gas and oil as it was replaced with sage and sandalwood. She shifts an uneasily as she cleans the medical grade scalpel. She found herself wishing Dean was here before almost instantly regretting the thought. He’s spent forty years in hell cutting up- It would be cruel to make him stand by her side as she cut into Castiel’s back.

“It is ok Lilly. I am quite strong willed. I will not ruin your work with movement.” Castiel says, pulling his trench coat off, folding it up before laying it on the table, struggling to loosen the tie.

“Wow, no. That’s not what I… uh… “ Lilly sighs heavily, as she moves the tools to her dessert cart. She’d only gotten to use it twice, and now it was a medical tray. Yep. This was her life now.

“Where would be the best place for it?” Castiel asks as he begins to unbutton his shirt.

“It’s not the work I’m worried about. Let’s just put it in an area where none of your...Siblings will see it.” Lilly shrugs as she starts mixing the herbs into a thick paste.

“Then maybe it is best for you to carve it into my back.” Castiel pulls the long sleeved shirt off, folds it and lays it with his other clothes. 

Lilly winces at the word carve but just let’s out a resigned sigh. “Right. That makes sense.”

Castiel turns to Lilly, naked from the waist up. “Where would this be easiest for you Lilly? Do you need me to lie down?” 

“Doesn’t really matter to me.” Lilly shrugs as she clenched her shaking hands trying to get blood back in them. She was being ridiculous at this point. She fucking spent more than a decade cutting into her self. Castiel wanted this done, her god expected her to do it. This wasn’t really the time for this sort of self-crisis. She bit her lip and took a deep breath. It wasn’t like it was against his will. 

“I’ll lie on the bench then.” Castiel says as he lowers himself onto the bench. 

“Lilly, you need to calm down. It’s just another ritual.” Thoth reminds her sternly.

“Right.” Lilly sighs as she shakes her head of her thoughts and looks to Castiel prone on Dean’s work bench. She steps forward and takes his trench coat and folds it even smaller before she offers it to Castiel for a pillow. “Ready?” She asks, looking down at Castiel.

Castiel nods. “I will be well Lilly. This is something that needs to be done, and I very much appreciate your help.” 

Lilly looks to the dessert tray to Castiel to where she came up and pouts with the dawning realization that she now had a whole different problem. She couldn’t reach.

“Well Lilly, no need to put it off.” Thoth prompts as he summons a step stool for her. “You’re the one who asked for the help if you back down now, you will have wasted my time.”

Lilly smiles gratefully as she just pushes the step stool closer, and steps on it with a sigh of relief. “Right.” She agrees as she turns and picks up a jar spreads it onto Castiel’s shoulder blade, and rubs it into his skin.

“Right, ready Castiel?” Lilly asks when she’s satisfied.

“I am.”

“Right.” Lilly nods picking up the scalpel and taking a deep breath as she carefully begins slicing into his skin, her eyes only leaving the cut to make sure she was copying the rune correctly. The blood that wells, makes her stomach twist; however she dabs at it gently as she goes. The last thing she wanted to do was make a mistake and start over. She swallowed as she began the next mark, careful that it was deep enough to scar but not deep enough to affect surrounding muscle. Thoth had been very specific about the scar needed to be large enough to sustain the ritual. The whole situation was distinctly unpleasant.

“I can not feel a thing Lilly. You are very skilled at this.” Castiel points out.

Lilly oblivious to the calm tone, just continues to work silently. She finishes the last two lines in the rune before she puts the bloody scalpel down and picks up the herbs. She packs the paste into the bleeding wound like she had been instructed before she lets herself clean the excess blood. She lets out a deep breath, shaking her head in relief that it was over. 

“You did well.” Thoth informs her, his arms folded across his chest as he bends to inspect her work.

“Thank you.” Lilly acknowledges absently as she begins bandaging Castiel’s wound. When she’s finished she steps down off the step stool, and steps back, her eyes sweeping over the god and the angel. She hides her hands behind her back. “So anyone want a drink?” She asks as she turns and heads into the kitchen. “Cause I do.” She adds under her breath.

Castiel sits up and begins to get redressed.

Thoth follows Lilly into the kitchen. “Were you the type in school to balk at discretions?”

Lilly tilts her head and looks to Thoth. “No.” She tells him before she opens the fridge and grabs a beer. She turns and pops the top off on the counter.

“Didn’t you want to be a doctor?”

“I did, do… I just- Really doubt I’m gonna.” Lilly responds thoughtfully as she takes a drag from the beer.

Thoth lifts an eyebrow. “Then why are you so worked up over that ritual?”

Lilly shrugs. “I’m really not sure…” She admits after another drink. “I’ll add it to the list of things to think about...” She comments. “I know it’s not acceptable. Sorry.” She adds as her eyes drop to her beer and she takes another sip.

Castiel walks into the kitchen with a smile on his face. “I feel much more confidant in my abilities to protect you two now.”

“That’s good.” Lilly smiles at Castiel, unsure how else to respond to the odd declaration.

“Yes. I’m going to go find Mae, she is not in her room like she said she would be. Thank you again.”

Lilly lifts an eyebrow. “You’re welcome…?”

Castiel nods as he flaps out of the kitchen.

“Okay.” Lilly shakes her head as she takes another drink and turns to Thoth. “I’ll figure it out. I’m sorry.”

Thoth pats her gently on the back. “You are very complicated odd one.” He smiles down at her. “Please refrain from almost dying when I can’t find you. Maat will kill me.”

“Heard.” Lilly nods with a sheepish look.

“I must return to my library. You have given me a lot to research.”

“Oh wait, does the obscura- The demons and angels- I’m like still good right?” Lilly asks quickly. Dean was going to make her carry a hex bag, if she didn’t have a solid answer.

“Nothing can find you with a location spell or scrying. Angels can not locate you with their abilities. Maat can’t even find you without my help. Someone would have to take this,” He pulls out the chain with the ring hanging from it. “In order to find you.”

Lilly nods as she looks at the golden ring swinging from the long chain. “Heard. I’ll let Dean know then. No more hex bags.”

Thoth nods. “There is nothing you can do if you are around Mae or the Winchesters, but at least tell me if you are leaving the house.”

Lilly stares at Thoth’s serious expression. “Understood.”

Thoth crosses his arms over his chest. “I mean it Lilly. No more leaving the house without telling me, until this ‘end of the world’ is over, you are on house arrest.”

Lilly opens her mouth to argue before she thinks better of it. “Let you know if I leave the house. Got it.”

“Before you leave the house.” THoth narrows his eyes.

“Right.” Lilly nods. “Before I leave the house, I will let you know.”

“Thank you.” Thoth drops a hand to her shoulder and nods once before he vanishes from the kitchen.

Lilly can’t help the smile on her lips. She’d better go make sure Castiel was standing his ground against a stoned as fuck Mae. She had ways of getting her way, when she was like this. She stops as she thought about that. Mae had acted like this before. She frowned as she thought about it. Clubs. This is how Mae had acted during her clubbing phase, when they were in college. Lilly used to hate them, but hadn’t denied the affect they had on a depressed Mae. However when they’d opened the shop it had pretty much petered out, with the Winchester’s killing the last spark of it. She prays the information to Thoth. Maybe she hadn’t been drugged after all? What if this was just a side effect of her birthmark healing. Were fae some type of psychic vampires? She shakes her head, and heads for the game room. She stops in the doorway when she sees Castiel holding out his hand so Mae could twirl to the music playing. She blinks.

Mae giggles as she comes to a stop in front of Castiel. “You’re still not dancing Cass.”

“I do not dance.” Castiel states with a frown.

“But you could.” Mae pouts.

“Okay, Mae. I think it’s time for bed.” Lilly intercedes with a clap of her hands before she walks into the room. She didn’t need empathy to see how uncomfortable Castiel was. He looked torn.

“But I’m not tired. I feel like I just woke up!” Mae smiles as she twirls again.

Lilly rubs her eyes. “Okay, but Castiel needs to go and he’d feel better if you were sleeping.” She turns to look at the clock on the entertainment center “It’s four A.M.”

Mae comes to an abrupt stop, her hands over her mouth as she looks up at Castiel. “I forgot, you’re looking for God. I’m sorry Cass. You don’t have to stay, I’ll go to bed.”

Castiel looks from Lilly to Mae with a frown. “Maybe you can teach me about dancing later.” He tells Mae.

“Well, tried getting you outta it dude.” Lilly sighs as Mae beams and jumps onto Castiel and hugs him tightly. She shakes her head and walks over to the couch, and plops down.

“We can talk about it later. Be safe Cass. Good luck.” Mae smiles as she backs away.

Castiel nods. “We will talk when you are feeling better Mae.” He states before he flaps away.

Mae tilts her head to the side as she turns to look at Lilly. “But I feel great.”

“I know Mae.” Lilly sighs. “And if you want to keep dancing go for it.” She adds as she lays down on the couch and begins thinking about the day's events. 

Mae smiles as she skips over to start a different CD.

“Enjoy it now…” Lilly breathes out as she runs her hand through her hair. “Sam is going to kill me…”

“I won’t let him.” Mae laughs as she starts dancing to a new song.

“If Dean doesn’t first.” Lilly groans as she sinks further into the seat.


	14. Chapter 12

37.

“We’re home.” Dean greets as he opens the door and walks in, Sam following closely behind him as they find both girls in the kitchen. It had been a rough couple of days, and War wasn’t anyone to fuck around with. It had been a rough case, and though neither admitted it they were relieved they’d ended up leaving the girls at Mystic.

“Dean! Sam!” Mae chirps happily as she drops her colored pencils. She jumps up from the table and runs towards them.

“Hey Tex, Sammy!” Lilly smiles as she puts the lid back onto a pot before walking over to the brothers, happy to see them both home, and safe. 

Mae gives Dean a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before she jumps into Sam’s arms, wrapping her legs around him before she kisses him deeply. 

“I made you pie.” Lilly smiles as she stands on her toes to kiss Dean’s jaw before hugging him. She nuzzles into him when he reciprocates.“Several, I didn’t know what mood you were in.” She adds sheepishly, pulling back to kiss his jaw again. “And dinner’s almost ready.”

“I love you too Hufflepuff.” Dean grins at her picking her up as he claimed her lips, shocked she seemed so much better compared to the last time he had seen her. Castiel had really worried him before they had left, but she seemed better now, and Mae seemed happier as well. Maybe leaving them here really had been the best plan after all. He hugged her closer. “I was worried about you.” 

“I was worried bout you too.” Lilly admits snuggling into the crook of his shoulder. “Why don’t you grab a beer? I know you guys are probably tired, but dinner will be done in like five.” She smiles as she releases him.

“Absolutely.” Dean answers, dropping his bags on the ground. He walks over to the fridge to grab a couple of beers out of it. He puts one on the table for Sam before he walks over to spend time with Lilly.

“So did you miss me? Cause I know I missed you.” Mae asks Sam, with a large smile after breaking their kiss.

“Of course I missed you Baby.” Sam assures her hugging her closer. She seemed so much happier now. What the hell had Lilly done while they were gone. It almost seemed as if Mae was back to her old self. He couldn’t help but feel slightly suspicious. 

“Dean, Sam we need to talk.” Castiel greets the brothers, as he flaps into the kitchen. 

“Cass is back!” Mae chirps, happy all over again.

“Fuck! How the hell?” Dean says as he turns around to look at Castiel confused.

Sam lets go of Mae to stand in front of her protectively. “What happened to the wards Lilly?!”

“Oh, look just in time for dinner Cass. Well done.” Lilly quickly chirps, recognizing Castiel’s tone. It explained why the brother’s weren’t yelling when they first gotten in. She was just really hoping they’d taken it well. Pipe dream. She shook her head as she pulled the last pie out of the oven, and switched off the burners.

“Lilly fixed it so Cass can come into the house.” Mae smiles as she slides under Sam’s arm so she could see the room.

Castiel just nods. “However that’s not why I’m here.”

“Yeah, your here for dinner.” Lilly states. “We’re having beef stew, and pie. Thank you for coming.” She adds pleasantly. “They literally just walked in, impeccable timing Angel.” She adds clipply. 

Sam looks to Lilly, suspicions confirmed. “How did you fix the wards Lilly?”

“What?” Lilly asks as she looks to Sam. “A ritual…” She shrugs. “We just added his name to the glyphs.” She adds dismissively. “You can see the alteration. Thoth found it while you guys were out saving people and stuff, I didn’t think the two of you would mind.” She blinks with a too innocent smile. Fuck. And I thought Cass was going to give us away? What the fuck was that?! I just waltzed into that. Fix it!

“Yeah. Here look.” Mae pulls Sam over to the closet ward and points to the newly added glyph. “See. And now he can come in here.”

“I mean, I just thought it would be wiser to do it when Thoth brought it to me and...So I just did it then. You know, safer, and stuff.” Lilly shrugs.

“It does make it easier for me to assist in protecting the girls.” Castiel points out before he shakes his head. “But again that is not why I’m here.”

“Good job babe.” Dean presses a kiss into Lilly’s hair before he releases her and walks over to Castiel. “What’s up Cass?” He asks.

Lilly hangs her head in defeat before she gives up and starts for the stairs. That had failed right in her face. Shit.

“The girls disobeyed. They left the house to go see a douche friend where Lilly nearly died and Elizabeth got ‘high’ as Lilly puts it, and still shows signs that she still is.” Castiel states dryly as he answers Dean.

“What the fuck?!” Dean asks he stares at Castiel in shock. “What do you mean, Lilly almost died?” He exclaims outraged.

“I am not on drugs.” Mae tells Sam quickly, but then her face falls and she twists her hands together, “But we’re not sure what happened to Lilly.” 

Sam looks down at his girlfriend in confusion as he tries to process what Castiel had just said. “I’m sorry, you guys left?” He asks looking down at Mae. “What douche friend? Where was so important that you had to leave the safety of this house?” He asks Mae in disbelief

“He makes a good fucking point.” Dean instantly agrees with Sam, his eyes narrowed. “What the fuck happened. How did Lilly almost die? And why the fuck are we just now hearing about it?!”

“The old one felt Lilly close to death but was unable to find her because of the hex bags.” Castiel informs Dean. “We decided to inform you once you were clear of War’s influence.” 

Dean takes a deep breath and let’s it out slowly. “Well at least the fucking hex bags work.” He sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Thoth burned her hex bag.” Castiel states.

“What? Why? Is he trying to get her killed?” Dean growls.

“Her obscura already served that purpose, and the hex bag was distorting their… Claim on her.” Castiel states as he blinks at Dean. “Preventing Thoth from locating her when he felt her life force fading. So he burned it and told her not to do it again.”

Sam rolls his eyes. “Yeah, because that works.” He runs a hand through his hair.

Mae frowns and looks around for Lilly, wondering why she hadn’t spoken up yet. “Where did Lilly go? She should be able to defend herself, this isn’t fair.”

Dean looks around the room. “GODDAMMIT!” He growls as he races up the stairs. 

Mae winces into Sam, shocked by Dean’s outburst. She was vaguely frustrated that she didn’t seem able to keep up with the atmosphere of the room.

“Mae? How did you get...I thought drugs didn’t work on you properly?” Sam sighs as he turns to look at her..

“I am not drugged. I did not eat any cupcakes. No drugs.” Mae points out, attempting to seem reasonable.

“Castiel said high and what do you mean cupcakes… Are you serious right now? Lilly drugged cupcakes...Ugh…” Sam groans as he shakes his head. “What the fuck was she thinking, dragging you into her shit. I should’ve known better than to leave you with her.”

Mae stamps her foot on the ground and puts her fists on her hips as she glares up at Sam. “I am not drugged, or high, or not better off left with Lilly. I am happy.”

“Mae does not have any foreign substances in her body, I was more talking about her state of euphoria comes from the her endocrine gland.” Castiel explains to Sam with a frown. “The old one is looking into it.”

Sam rolls his eyes in disbelief. “Wonderful.” He huffs scornfully, before he looks back to Mae. “I beg to disagree. She dragged you on a drug deal when angels and fucking demons are racing to kill us, or something worse.”

“But we had the hex bags, just like you and Dean do when you’re out hunting. We even warded the car.”

“And yet she still almost died, apparently and you got an endorphin rush from god only knows what.” Sam states with disapproval. 

“I was happy because I got to dance.” Mae pouts. “Why is that bad?” 

Sam hangs his head back and groans. “I thought we talked about you dancing in public Mae- But that isn’t even the point. You both left the house on some shady ass drug deal, and she dragged you with her. How is that good?” He counters as he crosses his arms over his chest.

Mae opens and closes her mouth several times before she let’s out a sigh. “Well, when you say it like that it doesn’t sound like it was fun, but it was.”

Sam takes a deep breath and release it in a hiss. “It’s not you having fun that’s the problem Mae. You were in an incredibly dangerous situation, where you obviously weren’t thinking clearly, and something- God only knows what- Happened to your dumb ass sister that had an angel and pagan god working together. That means something serious happened. Every time they work together it means there's a serious issue Mae.”

“It is rare for the old one to ask for my assistance.” Castiel adds with a thoughtful frown. He and the old gods had worked out a really tentative accord over the last few months. Both Mae and Lilly were key pieces in their relationship. They often found themselves warning each other when an issue arises with their particular ward. It had also transcended into them keeping the other in the loop, or seeking advice. It was a peculiar relationship, and one he was still uncertain of. However he did notice the perceived impossible seemed to follow. It was an incredibly rare occurrence he was proud to be apart of. 

“I’m sorry. We didn’t mean for anything to happen. We were just going to deliver the cupcakes and leave.” Mae looks down at her hands as she tries to fully remember why they had decided to go in the warehouse, or why they had stayed. “I don’t know what happened.” 

“I’m not upset with you Mae.” Sam shakes his head. “I’m mad at Lilly.” He clarifies with a sigh as he rubs at his aching temples. They didn’t even to make it ten steps into the house before finding out Lilly had been completely irresponsible. Shocking. “Where the hell did she even take you?” He asks as he stares at Mae expectantly.

“Killian’s warehouse rave. It was really cool, it looked like candyland.” Mae happily offers.

Castiel tilts his head at the word Candyland. “I’m sorry. Candyland?” He asks with a frown.

Sam closes his eyes as he let’s out a deep breath. What a fucking mess. He opens his eyes and looks over to Castiel. “It’s a children’s board game.” 

Mae nods. “Yep. Its really bright and colorful and shiny.”

“It’s also the name of a candy chain, twelve stripclubs, three children’s parks, four small theme parks, and two bars in North America.” Castiel states with a frown.

Mae tilts her head to the side. “That's a weird thing for you to know Cass.”

“There was an order to go check any Candylands near where we were stationed the same night you two were gone.” Castiel states with a frown.

Sam looks at Castiel shocked. “What?! How?!” He groans into his hand.

Mae looks down at the ground. How did the angels figure out where they were without knowing where they were?

“I did not realize the two incidents were related until right now.” Castiel responds with a slight frown. “But, I have a feeling Lilly might.” He adds with furrowed eyebrows.

“Great.” Sam hisses as he runs a hand through his hair.

“Are we going to eat dinner? I’m hungry.” Mae frowns.

Sam looks over at the pot on the stove with suspicion. “You want a salad?” He offers as he walks over to the fridge.

Mae nods. “I got to make one earlier while Lilly was cutting up the meat for the stew.”

Sam looks at the large container. “You made it?” He clarifies as he pulls out the bowl.

“Yes?” Mae tilts her head, confused by his suspicion.

Sam nods and heads to counter and makes Mae a bowl. “Here. Glad you're eating at least.” He adds almost begrudgingly.

“Mmhmm.” Mae smiles as she stands up on her tiptoes to kiss him again. “Cass has been coming over to eat often too.” She takes the bowl from him and goes to sit at the table.

“They are very insistent about it. But I have learned if I only eat the same amount as Lilly, she will eat more. Dean was really insistent that she eat more.” Castiel states as he looks between Mae and Sam, even as his thoughts are on Lilly’s near death experience.

“Good trick.” Sam nods as he turns to look back at Castiel. “So when did this drug deal happen?” He asks.

Lilly reappears in the kitchen and looks around before she takes a seat at the table. “Staying for dinner Castiel?” She asks pleasantly, as her eyes sweep over The Littles; noting Sam’s glare. She drops her eyes to the table and starts tapping out a beat on the wood.

“I will stay.” Castiel nods, sitting in his usual seat. 

“Where’s Dean?” Mae asks as she stabs a tomato with her fork.

“I dunno.” Lilly shrugs. “Thought ya’ll were down here… Was about to ask you that...”

“He ran out of the room after you.” Mae shrugs.

“Is that what that noise was…” Lilly shrugs.

Sam rolls his eyes and pulls his phone out to send Dean a text letting him know Lilly was back.

Dean comes stomps down the stairs not a minute later his green eyes flashing when they land on Lilly.

Mae’s eyes widen before she looks over to Lilly. “Dean’s really really mad.”

Lilly blinks at Mae. “Thank you.” She states dryly as she leans back in her chair. Was she that bad at reading people Mae needed to fill her in on the obvious? “Glad your feeling again Mae, I missed this.”

Mae nods and smiles before she stabs another tomato.

Sam glares at Lilly with annoyance. “What the fuck were you thinking?!” He spits out.

“That’s not very specific…” Lilly breathes out as she looks between the two brothers. Her stomach twists with anxiety, as she absently traced patterns into the table.

Sam walks over to stand next to Mae’s chair; his burning anger kept him on his feet and fidgeting. 

“Sam’s really mad too.” Mae chirps as she pops a piece of cucumber in her mouth.

“Is he? I hadn’t noticed.” Lilly responds sarcastically.

“They didn’t like when I tried to explain what happened.” Mae pouts as she plays with a slice of pepper. “Maybe you should tell them.”

“There’s not really much to explain. We were back home, were offered a job, went to drop off the cupcakes, Mae danced a bit, I passed out. I woke up, we went home.” Lilly shrugs. “I should not have done it. It was wrong.”

“Then why did Cass just tell us about all the places in North America that were called Candyland?” Sam snaps

Lilly’s head whips to Sam, her eyes wide and her mouth open. “Oh.” She says softly her eyes looking to the table before she looked over to Castiel curiously, as guilt rippled through her insides. What had she done? Who the fuck had she been talking to? Or what? How fucked up was she that night that she hadn’t even noticed the dream Dean had been a foreign entity.

“Wait, what are we talking about? I missed something.” Dean looks from Lilly to Sam then to Castiel.

“Candyland, the angels all checked out different Candylands. Castiel is pretty sure it has to do with that.” Sam responds as he points an accusatory finger at Lilly. “They had been at a Candyland inspired rave.”

Dean’s eyes widen as he looks back to Lilly.

“That doesn’t make sense though. How would the angels know where we were without knowing exactly where we were?” Mae asks with a thoughtful frown.

“I told one.” Lilly responds softly, as she looked down at the table.

“What?!” Sam and Dean both look at her in surprise.

“I was dreaming… I thought I’d just been drugged-It was a really odd dream-Fuck…” Lilly sighs as she shifts in her seat. “It isn’t uncommon for my concious and subconcious to appear in my dreams after a lot of meditation… I just thought... “ She shakes her head. “He kept telling me I was dying, and demanded to know where I was. I just thought it was a manifestation of guilt or something.” 

“He? Your subconscious is a he?” Dean asks before he can stop himself.

Lilly looks up at Dean for a brief moment before she drops her eyes. “It’s a manifestation Dean, it can take any form. In this case...Your form.”

“So an angel showed up in your dream looking like me?” Dean shakes his head and drags a hand down his face.

“Yes Dean.” Lilly sighs as she rubs her temples. “It’s not uncommon for you to show up; or even for you to be an avatar in my meditations and dreams. We have lots of discussions in my head.” 

“Can angel’s do that?” Sam looks from Dean to Castiel.

Castiel nods. “I’ve even done it.” He looks at Lilly.

“Yeah, I remember… I just wasn’t thinking about it. Fuck.” Lilly frowns as she chewed on her thumb in thought. This wasn’t good at all.

Sam looks down at Mae. “Are you having dreams where someone you know tries to ask where you are?”

Mae shakes her head. “No.”

“Well, it’s angels after Lilly and demons after Mae. There ain’t nothing in the lore about demons being able to manipulate dreams like that.” Dean raps a knuckle against the table a couple of time.

“But there are angels working with demons, and hell, we don’t even know where they fall with Lucifer.” Lilly points out darkly as she leans against her chair her eyes sweeping over Mae and the brothers. “This brings up a lot more concerns.” She sighs as she rubs her forehead remembering how angry the dream Dean had gotten with her. “Was that angel the reason I was dying in the first place?”

Castiel shakes his head. “No. Angels are not able to inflict pain or injury in sleep. We are not actually interacting with you physically, our grace seeks out the dream.”

“And you're sure that’s the same for me too?” Lilly asks hesitantly. “Didn’t you mention I was the easiest to contact or something…”

“Other than it taking less energy, you felt no different when I sought your help and found you in your dream.” Castiel explains with a small frown.

Lilly nods she goes back to chewing on her thumb, angry Winchesters the least of her concerns. It was already done, there wasn’t any undoing it. Her concern was preventing an angel from sliding into her dreams again. She just wouldn’t make cupcakes again with Mae, no big deal.

Dean drags a hand down his face again. “Look, I ain’t happy you two left the house. I don’t care what the fuck it was for-”

“Oh no Dean, what it was for is kind of important.” Sam interrupts Dean with a glare to Lilly.

“Stop it Sam. He’s not as mad as he was, you were calming down too.” Mae puts one hand over Sam’s arm.

“No, she dragged you both to a fucking drug deal.” Sam argues as he glares at Mae, before he turns to Dean with accusatory glare. “Over a fucking drug deal Dean.”

Dean lifts an eyebrow. “What drugs Lilly?”

“Ecstasy.” Lilly responds absently around her thumb pad.

“It was a rave…” Dean shrugs. “That’s not the point. You two shouldn’t have left the house. You both know what’s against us.” 

Sam glares at Dean his mouth open with disbelief.

“You’re right. It was irresponsible and reckless.” Lilly turns to Dean as she drops her hand to her lap. 

Dean looks her over suspiciously. “I’m right?”

“Do you want me to argue.” Lilly asks as she looks at Dean with a raised eyebrow. “Your right. I was irresponsible. I put Mae at risk. It was stupid.”

“Nono, I don’t want to argue about this, but you usually do. You both put yourselves at risk.” Dean puts his hands down flat on the table. “And you both knew better. We left under the impression you two were going to stay in the house.”

“I was passed out, how did I give you an impression?” Lilly questions with a raised brow. 

Dean turns and looks at Mae and Castiel.

“Hey, I told them both to stay out of trouble.” Castiel states as he holds his hands up in defense.

“It was my fault. I'm the one that answered the phone and agreed to the order, and took the pills.” Mae defends Lilly.

“No it wasn’t.” Lilly shakes her head. “I should have said no, but I didn’t. I just thought a rave would be the last place angels or demons would be. I was just wrong. Apparently they’re in our heads.”

Castiel shakes his head. “An angel just happened across your dream energy. Or was looking for it.”

Lilly sighs. “I doubt it was the former. He knew my name was Samara.”

“All angels know your name. It was in the prophecy.” Castiel points out.

“And just recognize me?” Lilly asks as her stomach drops. She snaps her fingers. “Like that?”

“It's all about energy. They can't find you with it, but they can search for it and use it to communicate with you.”

Lilly frowns. “So, what Mae and I are easier to find in dreams?”

Castiel tilts his head to the side. “Not you physically. It just provides a path of communication.” He lets out a sigh. “It's not like when you dreamwalk. We can't see everything you see. And we can't go off on our own in your head.”

“No, but I mean-” Lilly pauses struggling for a moment. “She’s half fae, and I’ve got two fucking souls. I feel like that would narrow the search if one were looking for odd energy patterns.” 

“Well, yes.” Castiel nods. “I suppose it does narrow down the search.” 

Lilly slumps down with a frown. When was being a fucking snowflake going to work in her fucking benefit? What a mess. “By how much?” She asks hesitantly as her eyes connected with Castiel’s.

“I would guess substantially.” Castiel states with a frown.

Lilly goes back to chewing her thumb. Wonderful, as if she didn’t have enough trust issues.

Dean and Sam look to Castiel with concern in their eyes. “How substantial?” Sam asks with a frown.

Castiel frowns. “The odds are not in their favor. Especially now that one angel has found Lilly.” 

“Fucking wonderful.” Dean growls as he plops down in the seat next to Lilly.

“Sorry.” Lilly sighs around her thumb, oblivious that she’d scraped away all superficial layers of skin.

Dean lets out a deep sigh. “Lilly. Babe, you gotta know we’re just worried right? This is starting to feel like a damned if I do damned if I don’t situation.”

Lilly just nods. She knew that whole venture had been a mistake from the start, but it was the first time she’d seen Mae excited for anything since Lilith. It had gone quickly downhill from there. She chews down harder as the guilt squirms in her stomach. It had almost ended up with them being found by angels. She’d given away their location so easily, hadn’t even thought about it. She chews down harder on her thumb. 

Sam sighs. “At least they haven’t gotten to Mae yet. Maybe there’s some way to prevent it, or like distort her pattern or something.” He offers as he shoots a glare at Lilly. “Are we really not discussing everything, just everything that she’s done since we’ve left.” He asks as he looks to Dean expectantly.

“Oh, she and I are going to discuss it. Later.” Dean stands up and makes himself a bowl of stew.

“Dean are you serious! Don’t eat that.” Sam snaps at his brother with a roll of his eyes.

“Why? They made dinner.” Dean gives Sam a bewildered look.

“She probably drugged it.” Sam snaps at his brother. 

Lilly’s teeth sink into her thumb at Sam’s words as she rips it out of her mouth. “I am sitting right here Sam. On top of that being incredibly hurtful, do you have any idea how stupid that would be? There is a fucking war going on, and the four of us are the fuckin’ trophy wives. I would never fucking do that. I’m not a psychopath.” She snaps at Sam as she stands, slamming her palms on the table. “I know it was stupid okay? Whattaya want me to do about it?! I’m sorry. What can I possibly do to fix this?” 

Mae tilts her head to the side as she watches blood bead on the table around one of Lilly’s hands. “Lilly?” She calls out softly.

Lilly takes a deep breath before she turns and looks at Mae. “Yes, Mae.” She asks slowly.

“Why are you bleeding?”

Lilly tilts her head to the side, and looks down. “Gross.” She sighs as she hangs her head; before she walks away from the table to go grab cleaning supplie.

Dean furrows his brow as he stands and follows after her. “Lilly, come back and let me see your hand.” They hear him call out as he rushes from the room.

Sam rolls his eyes. “She’s going to get away with this shit, again.” He shakes his head. “Unbelievable.”

Mae frowns as she looks up to Sam. “I know you're upset about us going out, but she’s right. There is nothing we can do to fix it. We won’t go deliver cupcakes again. I promise.”

Castiel taps the table and the blood disappears from the surface. “I agree with Sam. Lilly was incredibly irresponsible with both of your safety.” He adds with a shrug. “If the angel’s had found you both you would have been in danger. She was in no condition to go do anything, or protect either of you.”

“It was my fault too. I just wanted to make her feel better, so I took the order.” Mae points out, wishing they’d stop blaming Lilly.

Sam shakes his head. “And you shouldn’t have done that, but she should’ve stopped you. It’s not your job to make sure Lilly is happy.”

Mae shrugs. “Yeah it is. It’s kinda what we do. We look out for eachother.”

Sam sighs. “No it isn’t. You’re always doing reckless shit because of her. It’s a miracle you aren’t dead.” 

Mae leans back, resting her head on the top of the chair as she stares at the ceiling. “Isn’t it kind of a miracle that none of us are dead?” 

“That’s not the point Mae.” Sam snaps as he rubs at his temples. “She’s just as reckless with your safety as she is her own.” 

Mae lets out a sigh, but gives up on arguing.

Castiel frowns as he looks between Sam and Mae in confusion. “Lilly is very reckless.”

“Thank you Cass.” Mae throws her hands in the air before she rubs them down her face and lets them drop to her side.

“Are you okay Elizabeth?” Castiel asks with a frown.

“Yes. Just feeling the last of the happy buzz drain.” Mae smiles in spite of herself.

Sam frowns as he looks over at Mae. “Her happiness really isn’t your problem if she can’t even take your safety seriously.”

“We were dumb. That was dumb.” Mae sighs as she sits up to look at Sam. “But we’re not going to do it again. No more cupcake deliveries.” 

“No, I trust you're not going to do it again.” Sam sighs as he leans back in his chair. “How am I supposed to trust that.” He adds as he gestures towards the hall where Lilly had left.

“I guess you’re just going to have to trust that I won’t do it and be happy with that.”

Sam’s brow crinkles. “Until she manipulates you into it.”

“She won’t. She’s just as scared of what happened as the rest of you.” Mae points out quietly, hurt that he effectively was saying he didn’t trust her to keep her promise.

“So you can read her emotions now?” Sam asks with a raised eyebrow, as he crosses his arms. “It was one case. We were gone for less than a week and she dragged you on a drug deal to a pop up rave, where she separated from you and almost gave away your location to an army that want us dead. After god only knows what happened to nearly killed her.”

“She didn’t drag me, I went with her. I’m sorry. It was one of the worst ideas I’ve ever had. And it won’t happen again.”

“Stop protecting her.” Sam snaps in annoyance, about to slam his hand on the table when Castiel stops him by his wrist.

Mae looks down at the table as a tear escapes and falls to it’s surface.

“Enough Sam.” Castiel states with a disapproving look to Sam. “I know you’re worried, but enough. It’s not helping.” 

Sam takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Right.” He acknowledges, before he pulls his arm free and turns to Mae. “Baby, I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you okay?”

Mae nods slowly. “I know.” She says softly.

Sam slowly gathers Mae in his arms. “I’m sorry.”

Castiel watches the couple before he stands up slowly and slips from the table. He was not sure how to help and had done what he’d set out to do. “If I hear any more news, I will let Dean or you know.” He states before he disappears.

Sam relaxes slightly with the sound of Castiel’s wings. “I was really worried about you baby.” He sighs as he pushes the hair out of her face. “I didn’t mean to yell.”

Mae wraps her arms around his neck and buries her head into his chest. “I don’t blame you for being angry or worried. I really don’t. I’m sorry that I made it worse. I know we can’t do that again Sam. I really hope you believe me. I don’t want to do that again. And it doesn’t sound like Lilly wants to either.”

“You didn’t make it worse baby.” Sam breathes out as he kisses her temple. “And I know you don’t want to do it again...I believe you. I trust you.” He sighs as he looks down at her, wiping the tears from her face. “But, I’m sorry I just- I can’t trust Lilly right now. Her judgement seems to have gotten worse since we’ve met you two.” 

Mae frowns. “Okay.” What could she possibly say to that? She couldn’t force him to trust Lilly. It didn’t keep it from hurting.

They sit in silence for several moments before Sam looks down at Mae. “Want to go down stairs?” He offers.

Mae shakes her head. “You didn’t eat anything.”

Sam shakes his head. “I’m not hungry.”

“That never works for me.” Mae pouts.

“No it doesn’t.” Sam agrees as he stands up and heads for the pantry. “But I don’t normally skip meals.”

Mae purses her lips and narrows her eyes. “I find that hard to believe mister long car drives.”

“On purpose.” Sam corrects with a small smile.


	15. Chapter 13

38.

“Lilly. Where are you- Stop for a second!” Dean shouts as he rushes to catch up with Lilly.

Lilly stops and turns to look at Dean curiously.

“Why are you bleeding?” Dean asks, taking her hands into his to inspect her skin. He quickly finds the large tear on her thumb, still freely bleeding.

“It’s just my thumb Dean.” Lilly sighs as she pulls her hands out of his. “No big.”

“Can we get it cleaned up and just talk please?” Dean gently cups her shoulders with both hands. “I’ll take care of the kitchen later. Just, please.”

Lilly looks up Dean for a moment, before she looks back at the kitchen. Was cleaning the blood really worth being near Sam right now? She turned back to Dean. “Alright.” She nods, decision made. One disappointed brother at a time; it seemed so much more reasonable.

Before she can change her mind Dean leads her up the stairs to his room. He sets her on the bed and grabs the first aid kit from under the sink.

Lilly absently brings her thumb to her teeth and begins chewing again as she thinks over the last twenty minutes. She really had just wanted to enjoy dinner before shit hit the fan, but then when did shit work in her favor?

“Is that how you hurt yourself?” Dean shakes his head as he sits down next to her.

Lilly’s pulled from her thoughts when Dean’s weight dips the bed. “What?” She asks as she shakes her head. “Did you say something?” She asks as she looks up at him, dropping her hands into her lap.

Dean picks her injured hand up. “When did this start? I don’t recall you being a nail biter.”

Lilly looks to her thumb with a raised brow. “I’m not sure…” She breathes under her breath. “But that’s gross…” She adds with a frown as she flexes her fingers, inspecting her other hand only to find similar chafing on her other thumb. 

Dean chuckles darkly as he pulls out jars and bandages. “Yeah, you’re bordering on cannibalism here babe.” He takes a cloth and starts cleaning her thumb.

Lilly watches Dean for a moment. “That’s really gross.” She sighs. “So you wanted to talk?” She asks with a sigh.

“Are you okay?” Dean gives her a long look before he goes back to tending to her thumb.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Lilly nods absently.

“That’s what I thought.” Dean shakes his head. “What’s going on in that head of yours?” 

Lilly brings up her hand and drags it through her hair and thinks about out before she stands. “I’ll be right back.” She sighs.

Dean narrows his eyes, but lets her hand go.

“Promise, it’s in my room. It’ll just take a sec.” Lilly assures him, before she heads leaves the room.

Lilly comes back not a minute later with a leather bound journal. “Sorry.” She sighs as she walks back into the room. “It’s been a mess up here.” She admits as she runs her hand through her hair and offers him the book.

Dean lifts an eyebrow in interest as he takes the journal from her hand. “Is this a big moment for us? I’ve never been asked to read a girl's diary before.” He smiles at her mischievously.

Lilly lifts her eyebrow. “I seem to remember having to re catalogue my journals…” She comments as she sits next to him.

Dean holds a finger up. “Ahhhahah, I said asked.”

“Right.” Lilly comments with an eye roll. “I just find, in this particular instance, it was just easier to give you the list…” 

Dean shrugs as he opens the book. The first page was a mess. Nearly all of her chicken scratch had been crossed out. “Oh boy…” He says with a sigh.

Lilly looks over at Dean and then down at the page he was on. “Fair.” She smiles as she skips the first several pages. “It get’s neater. But all you really need is the list of contents.” She adds with a sheepish grin as she taps the page she’d been looking for. “Unfortunately, it just ends up like that on most pages… This is my fourth one.” She admits as she rubs the back of her neck.

Dean tilts his head to the side in concern. This was nothing like a hunter’s journal; but it also wasn’t anything like normal girl diary entries. How could such a tiny girl have so much constantly buzzing around in her skull? No wonder she made mistakes. How was one person suppose to remember and deal with all this? He flips through three pages of just list, only able to make out certain words. “This is a lot. You’re worried about all of this?”

“Well, yes and no. The first page,yes. The rest are just things that need to be given thought.” Lilly sighs as she falls back on the bed and stares at the ceiling. 

Dean flips back and forth through the pages again as he thinks. “Are you trying to prioritize your worries?”

“Yes. I was already able to scratch a couple off the list this week… However since you’ve arrived home, several more have taken their place, and so rendered that current list obsolete.” Lilly absently chews on her thumb at the thought.

Dean’s eyes widen. “The things we talked about tonight weren’t on this list yet?”

“Not a majority of them, no.” Lilly admits with a sigh. “I mean, I guess the conversations tonight could be subcategorized, but some of them definitely deserve their own category.”

Dean sighs as he closes the journal and lays it off to the side. “Let me finish with your thumb.” He beckons her back over to him.

Lilly sits up and gives Dean her hand. “It stopped bleeding.” She observes as she looks down at it.

Dean nods as he inspects it. “That’s good.” He lets out a slow breath as he starts working on her again.

“I know I can only focus on around three problems before dropping a ball, so I’m only working on the proper amount. Some worm their way up, others just hold my attention on their own.” Lilly sighs as she looks at the journal.

“So what happened when you decided to leave the house?” Dean asks bluntly as he starts wrapping her thumb.

Lilly tilts her head as she thinks about it. “I think it was the first time I’ve seen Mae really smile since Lilith… And after thinking about it some, I decided to do it. It was a gross error on my part. I underestimated the angels.”

Dean sets the bandages back into the kits as he finishes taping her thumb. “But you’re not doing it again?”

“No.” Lilly breathes out.

“You and Mae will not leave this house? These walls?” Dean continues to press. Now that the four freaking horsemen of the apocalypse were out, there was a chance that they were going to have to leave the girls alone again. Obviously they couldn’t always stay here; but here or anywhere else that they were using, he had to know that Lilly understood. They couldn’t leave.

“I have no interest in doing so.” Lilly sighs as she looked at Dean with a frown. This whole situation seemed demeaning; not that she didn’t understand why. She’d really fucked up this week; she’d dropped the ball when it came to protecting Mae. She’d apparently given their location to a dream walking angel. 

“I’m sorry babe. I’m just worried about you. You and Mae are the only things that keep us going most days, and to hear that you were in danger… It’s like a dagger. I just, I know it ain’t fair. I just need to know your safe. That those bastards can’t get you again. You or Mae.” Dean puts a finger under her chin to gently force it up so she’d continue to look at him.

“I understand Dean.” Lilly sighs.”It’s not like you're hurting my feelings. I know I fucked up. I never meant to put Mae at risk. It was a mistake on my part, it won’t happen again.”

Dean shakes his head and pulls her into his lap. “The only mistake you made Lilly was leaving the house. That’s it.”

“That’s not true.” Lilly shakes her head. “I told one of those fucking-” She spits out a slew of curses. “Where I was. It was stupid. I should have been more suspicious instead of just dismissing it as a bad trip.”

“Okay. Now you know. I hope this shit doesn’t happen again, but if it does, hopefully you’ll be able to tell the difference.” Dean shrugs. “That’s about the way of it for everything I’ve ever learned on a hunt.”

Lilly studies Dean’s face for a moment before she drops her eyes to her lap.

Dean bounces her in his lap. “Ground Control to Major Tom?”

“You would kill yourself if you were actually ground control.” Lilly sighs as she looks up at Dean. “Do you know how much data and reports they have to run and write?”

“Nope. Notta clue. I imagine it’s something like what Bobby does though.” Dean smiles.

Lilly smiles as she leans her head against the crook of his shoulder. “I won’t do it again. I’m sorry you walked in from a case to a mess. I should’ve just called, and I didn’t. I think part of me was just assuming Castiel would have told you both, but now that I’m thinking about it… He can’t even find you unless you pray first. Ball dropped.”

Dean slowly nods. “We were in an area that had no cell phone service. War had cut off all ways to communicate. And Sam and I refused to call Cass to us because we needed him ready to help you if something happened here.”

Lilly lifts her brow at that. “War? Like of the apocalypse war?” She asks, her nose crinkling with disgust as her mind immediately hopped to pestilence.

Dean nods. “Yep. One of the four horsemen. War, Death, Famine and Pestilence. Bobby’s already looked them up for us. Because shit hasn’t truly hit the fan until you also have to deal with horsemen while the world’s ending.” Dean sighs.

Lilly nods. “I s’pose that makes sense. Nothing really puts the nail in the coffin like Death.” She jokes darkly. 

Dean shakes his head as he hugs Lilly to him tightly. “Can you see why I’m pissed about the situation though. It’s literally hitting us from all sides.”

“Baby, I was never guessing why you were mad…” Lilly sighs as she caressed his jaw. “I think my luck somehow rubbed off on you. Sorry.”

“Nah. At work this is pretty par for the course.” Dean chuckles.

“You're in a pretty shitty line of work… Are there any benefits?”

“I’m holding one right now.” Dean presses his lips to her forehead. “That wasn’t cheesy was it?”

“So very cheesy… But so was my proposition for sex, that got sailed over...” Lilly chuckles. 

“Oh. Is that what that was? My next question was going to be…” Dean clears his throat and looks down at her sternly. “Have you really learned your lesson?”

Lilly can’t help the stupid grin on her lips as she turns and straddles Dean, before she claims his lips.They could talk later. He’d literally gone up against War this week. The man deserved head, not a serious conversation. They could continue this later. Maybe sex would help them both anyways. It would at least stop the thoughts swirling around her own mind right now. It had to be similar for Dean.

“Smiling in the middle of a lecture huh? Trying to seduce me? Oh Lilly, we have so much correcting that needs to be done.” Dean claims her lips once more before he stands abruptly, easily catching her and setting her on her feet.

“Me?” Lilly asks too innocently. “Never.” She denies as she brushes some imaginary dirt off her skirt.

“Yeah you.” Dean growls as he grabs her around the waist and pulls her down over his lap, easily flipping her skirt up her back. “Say goodbye to sitting for a week.” He teases as he brings his hand down.

Lilly can’t help the moan that leaves her lips at the first swat and the warning. She hoped it lasted a week, a reminder of tonight certainly wouldn’t hurt. “You wouldn’t dare.” She taunts him petulantly.

Dean whips her satiny green underwear down to her knees. “Oh, I dare.” He smirks as he brings his hand down again in a rapid assault of her cheeks. He could think about the rest of this later, right now he had his beautiful, smart ass girlfriend all to himself, and that was all he cared about.

37.

Mae looks around her garden, slightly confused as to when she had wandered out here. “Cass?” She calls out, wondering if she had slept walked out here. “I’m going to get in trouble.” She turns to walk back towards the house, but stops short when she spots her mother watering a row of flowers.

“Mom?” Mae calls out in confusion as she takes a few steps towards her.

“Hey Elizabeth.” River greets, turning to her with a familiar smile as she looks up from her flowers.

Mae smiles and lifts her arm to wave before she stops and looks around again. “Oh, I’m dreaming.” She says with a frown.

“Yes, you are.” River affirms as she turns off the hose. She lays it on the ground, before turning to give Mae her undivided attention. “How are you tonight?”

Mae smiles. “I’m fine. I think I’m...” Her smile fades as she trails off. 

“Elizabeth? What’s the matter dear one?” River asks walking over to her and looking over her with concern.

Mae’s lip quivers. “I’m not okay Mom. I’m scared.”

River frowns as she gathers Mae in her arms. “I’m sorry dear one, she should have never touched you like that.” She breathes out as she leans back to move the hair out Mae’s face.

Mae wraps her arms around her mother and begins quietly crying into her shoulder, her body shaking with her silent sobs.

River holds Mae to her for a moment before manoeuvring to the ground to cradle Mae in her lap like she had so many times before; coaxing Mae softly. Her hands were feather light as she smoothed Mae's hair and hummed to her quietly. “I’ve got you dear one.”

“I’m trying so hard to be ok.” Mae hiccups, struggling to talk through her tears. “I just want to be ok. I feel so broken, and cold. I’m just so scared Mom.”

“I know darling, I see it. You’re a brave girl Elizabeth, a kind girl. You’re the best gift god has ever given to me.” River admits as she brushes her fingers through Mae’s hair gently. “But, I promise it’ll get better. I’ve got you now dear one. No one's going to hurt you like that again.”

“I don’t feel brave or kind. I’m hurting my family. I see it in their eyes and I can feel it in their emotions.” Mae admits sadly. “Everyone wants to protect me, and I couldn't protect them.”

“I think your family just doesn’t know what to do to make your pain go away. They’re trying. You’re going to get through this. I know you will. You will not be broken this way forever, and I’ll protect you from anything else that tries.” River assures her in low calming tones.

Mae smiles before she leans forward to kiss her mother’s cheek. “I know you will. You said you would always be with me.”

“Always.” River says kissing her hair tenderly. “You’re older siblings and Sam will protect you too, it’s rare to have such strong bonds with family.”

“Lilly hasn’t changed much.” Mae admits with a smile. “Except she’s even more stubborn and protective. Bobby makes a great father figure for us, you were right, he is a grouchy bear. Dean’s kind of scary sometimes, but I know he’s just protective. And Sam.” Mae smiles, the love she has for the man obvious, but the smile slowly turns to a frown, “I’m afraid I’m hurting him the most. I know he blames himself for what happened. He says he failed me, but I feel like I’m letting him down.”

River’s silent for a moment as she braids Mae’s hair. “Lilith was a twisted being that I went too far with. I should have killed her when I was finished proving my point to father.” She says softly as she ties off the braid. “I’m to blame there, I’m afraid. I’m sorry my dear one.”

Mae looks up at River in confusion. “I don’t understand. How can it be your fault?”

River smiles sadly. “My name is Lucifer. I thought it would be easiest to comfort you in this form. I’ve been watching you for a couple weeks now, trying to figure out the best way to approach you.” She admits with a frown.

Mae’s eyes widen in fear and her breath catches in her throat as she stands and tries to break from her mother’s hold.

River’s image shifts until Nick is left standing in her wake.“It’s alright child, I’m not here to hurt you. You’re mine.” Lucifer assures her gently as his hold on her tightens, albeit not painfully so. “The quicker you come to terms with this, the easier it will be.” He whispers against her hair. “Sam is my true vessel, we’re meant to be.”

Mae stops struggling and takes a moment to breath. She does her best to relax against the man holding her, waiting for her heart to calm to a steady beat. 

Lucifer’s free hand strokes her arm, in ways of comfort. He speaks softly to her; whispering words of reassurance. When Mae was calm enough he lowers her to the ground and begins telling her his story. The true story of why he was cast out by his brother, at the order of their father. 

Silent tears trickle down her face without her knowledge. His story was so heart breaking, and familiar sounding. “I’m sorry. That sounds awful.” 

“You really are a special girl Elizabeth.” Lucifer whispers, wiping her tears away with his thumb. He holds her closer to him. “To know that someone cares enough to cry for me, you really were made for me.” He sighs as he runs a hand over her hair.

“But, I’m human. You hate humans.” Mae tearfully points out. 

“You’re more than human Elizabeth. You’re part Fae. Half Sylph. You have an affinity for the earth. You care so deeply for things. You’re more than. Older. It is rare to see the Fae here; even rarer for you to be of both bloods. How much more made for me could you be?” Lucifer asks as he continues to gently wipes away her tears.

“You know I’m half Sylph? Lilith told you?” Mae asks softly, as she stares up into his kind face.

“I am one of the oldest in existence. Oberon used to leave the doors open, but didn’t like the humans, and often fought with my father. Lilith didn’t need to tell me anything. I would have only needed to look at you to know.” He tells her with a smile, loosening his hold on her, trusting her not to run. “How much do you know about the Fae?”

Mae blinks, realizing that she didn’t know much. “Just... Stories my mom use to tell me.”

Lucifer nods his head. “They’re a species from a separate realm that have many races, Leprechauns, Red caps, Incubus, Succubus, Trolls, Goblins,and of course Fairies and Sylphs. Which are probably the most human of them. All are a bit… Lacking in humanity, which, why wouldn’t they be. However I guess, when you mix the two, they end up with someone, like you. You’re the most understanding child I’ve ever met. It’s the first good thing my father’s done for me since he created Gabriel.” He smiles down at her again, tenderly brushing wayward hairs from her face.

“But, you don’t like humans.” Mae states once more, still confused by the way he treated her. And how free he was with the knowledge he had.

“No.” Lucifer shakes his head in denial. “I just don’t understand how father believes they are better than my brothers or me. What’s the point of free will if you can’t defend it? Actually that’s part of why the Winchesters got picked. That and their blood. Someone upstairs has a wicked sense of humor.” He tells her, chuckling a bit darkly. “Surely you can see some vague parallels between Sam and myself.”

“I- uh.” Mae slowly shakes her head. “I can. But…” Another tear slides down her cheek and she looks away, still overwhelmed by this dream. 

“But you don’t want to make the comparison?” Lucifer asks softly. “Most people wouldn’t. There is quite the stigma surrounding my name. But, I’m not the villain here. I’m just another pawn in one of my father’s chess games, he just gave me a queen to help play my side of the board this time.”

It was too much. She was literally in the arms of the devil, and he was trying to claim she belonged to him. Her heart felt like it was trying to slam out of her rips, her whole body was numb with icy fear.

She falls limp in Lucifer’s arms. He looks down at her with a sad smile as he readjusts her, going back to coaxing her softy. He seemed sad and confused, as she slowly falls asleep cradled in his arms.

In what felt like an instant, Mae opens her eyes to find herself pressed against a warm surface. She stiffens when she feels arms around her and cries out.

“Mae? Baby are you awake now?” Sam asks, gently holding her closer to him; cradled to his chest with one arm. He wiped away the tears that had fallen in her sleep as he looks down at her in concern.

“Sam?” Mae cries out, pushing herself back enough so she could look up into his eyes before she hugs herself to him tighter.

“Yeah. Baby it’s me.” Sam reassures her as he adjusts his shirt on her where it had slipped from one shoulder. 

“I, I was dreaming about the garden, and my Mom. And then it wasn’t my mom. It was a man… Lucifer?” Mae pulls herself up to curl on his lap. 

“What? Lucifer? You were having a nightmare about Lucifer?” Sam asks in confusion as he wraps his arms around her.

“It was… He was sad… Why would Lucifer be sad? Wouldn’t he be angry? And then he was happy, and- I don’t know...” Mae admits with a sigh as she loses another piece of the dream.

Sam wasn’t sure what to do. Lilly’s story about her own dream encounter already had him paranoid. He pulls the blanket from the side of them and drapes it around Mae’s shoulders before he pulls his pants on over his boxers. This was the third dream related incident since they’d released Lucifer, he was done. He shakes his head as he sends out a prayer. “Well… that’s… CASTIEL? We could use some help.”

“Sam? What is the problem?” Castiel asks as he flaps into the room.

“I think Lucifer found Mae or something.”

Castiel looks Mae over in concern. “Lucifer was talking to you Elizabeth?”

“Is the first name an angel thing?” Mae wonders out loud. 

“What?” Both men ask in unison, her statement completely non-sequitur. 

“Oh look Cass is starting to be in-sync…” Mae smiles for a moment before she shakes her head. Wait, that’s not important.”

“What was Lucifer talking to you about Elizabeth?” Castiel asks concerned.

“I think he said something about watching me, and that I was… Something. He was sad, I think. I’m having a hard time remembering.” Mae frowns. It was like trying to keep water in a cupped hand, all the details kept trickling away.

“Anything else?” Castiel asks with furrowed eyebrows.

“No, I’m sorry. I can’t...” Mae frowns as she looks between Castiel and Sam with her eyes full of fear. “I always have a hard time remembering details from dreams though.”

Castiel and Sam share a look of concern before turning back to Mae. 

“Maybe Lilly knows a ritual?” Castiel offers. “We still don’t know what the angel’s are planning, it would be best to cut it off before something worse happens.”

Mae looks down at her hands. “I could go ask her in the morning.” Mae offers, knowing that Sam was on bad terms with Lilly right now.

Sam shakes his head. “No. If angels really are talking to you in your sleep we need to fix it.” He looks to Castiel with a frown. “And Lilly, you think Lilly will have a solution to this?” He asks his tone scathing. 

“I can always just sleep and we can see if it happens again.” Mae adds. “I might just be creating nightmares. I mean, I had this the same night she told us about her weird dream.”

Castiel nods to Sam before he turns back to Mae. “I think we’d all rather be safe than apologetic.”

Mae smiles at Castiel’s word choice. “I guess that’s true. Let me throw on a skirt, and go talk to her.” She adds with a tentative smile as she slides out of bed to get dressed; feeling very much like a ragamuffin in Sam’s shirt and loose skirt. 

“I’m going with you.” Sam sighs as he rubs his temple. The last thing he needed was Lilly fucking up the ritual and putting Mae into a coma.


	16. Chapter 14

38.

“Dean, Lilly?” Sam calls out hesitantly as he knocks on Dean’s door after finding Lilly’s room empty. 

After a few moments Dean opens the door with a sheet wrapped around his waist, looking like he had been attacked. Scratches and bite marks were scattered across his chest, some of them even had dried blood around them. He gives Sam a smug look, until he notices Mae. His smirk drops as he shuts the door and comes back several moments later in a pair of jeans and an undershirt. 

“It’s not like I don’t know Dean.” Mae points out with a small frown.

“Sorry.” Dean greets them as he shuts the door behind him to lean against it, looking the two of them over in concern. “What’s up?”

“Ummm… Well, sorry to wake you-” 

“Mae had a dream,” Sam quickly interrupts, Mae didn't need to feel bad for asking for help her sister fucking owed her. “And it may have been Lucifer, so I didn’t have much of a choice. Does she know any rituals to prevent dreams or something?” He begrudgingly asks, disapproval coloring his tone as he cut to the chase. Mae didn't need to feel bad at all, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

“Lucifer… Seriously? Shit.” Dean growls, standing up straighter as all his prior emotions are wiped away in favor of concern and worry. His eyes sweep over Mae as if ensuring himself she was uninjured.

“Yeah.” Mae admits quietly as she wraps her arms around herself. She couldn’t even remember most of the dream and at this point she was starting to feel like she was just being paranoid. She felt bad that they had woken Dean up and he’d gone from peacefully content to full out worry. Not to mention the fact that Sam was pretty upset that they were even having to talk to Lilly about dream blocking so soon after he’d made it clear he didn’t trust her. 

“Fuck, okay. So what did he say?” Dean asks as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“She doesn’t remember all of the details...” Sam admits as he scratches the back of his head. “But since Lilly already went through this…” He shrugs. 

“We were hoping that maybe she had some ideas on what to do.” Mae admits softly.

“Cass mentioned barriers and talking to your girlfriend...” Sam sighs. “About a ritual or something.” He adds gloomily.1 If it had been him, he would’ve just accepted the odds, but this was Mae. He couldn’t risk it. 

“I’ll go get her. You stay here, I’ll be right back.” Dean sighs turning back into the room, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling welts from where Lilly had scratched him earlier.

“I don’t think he’s coming back.” Mae whispers.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Sam reassures her as he kisses her forehead. He rolls his eyes when he hears several loud noises and a slew of multilingual curses before it abruptly stops. Not ten seconds later a sheet clad Lilly rips open the door and grabs Mae, looking her over appraisingly. 

“You okay? You’re standing, joints look all right, you’re not bleeding, no tears... You don’t look hurt. Why am I up?” Lilly states with clinical eyes slowly sweeping over Mae for injuries. “What’s wrong? I was told you needed help...”

Mae blinks, the familiarness of the ritual had not faded even seven years later. “There’s a chance Lucifer was in my dream...” She admits as she steps back into Sam’s arms. 

Lilly wipes her hand over her face. “Of course there was.” She sighs in acceptance as her eyes sweep over the littles. Sam looked pissed and Mae looked uncomfortable. She frowns. “So, how can I help?” She asks as Dean walks up behind behind her.

“Violent much?” Dean mutters under his breath, only to receive a patronizing pat from Lilly who missed on her first half hearted attempt.

“I can’t remember the dream anymore, but uh- After your dream with an angel and now this? I mean it, it could be nothing. But Cass thought you might know something about barriers or something that might help....” Mae explains with a frown.

Lilly frowns as she looks between the irate Sam and uncomfortable Mae. “Uh huh… And we’re all okay with that?” She asks as her eyes linger on Sam.

Sam narrows his eyes at Lilly as his jaw tenses slightly.

“Of course we’re all fine with it. It’s fucking satan in her head.” Dean interrupts as he looks down at Lilly with a raised brow.

“Are we sure.” Lilly asks as she continues looking at Sam. He didn’t look sure. He looked pissed, even just standing in the hall. She absently starts chewing on her thumb. Usually she wouldn’t even bother seeking his permission, but it seemed the dynamics had changed in the last year. She was worried he was going to start pulling Mae away from her if she did anything stupid; and she didn’t want to put Mae in that position. She was going to have to move carefully in the future. She knew who Mae would end up with. They were cupid approved, and she was positive that bond far superseded her own. It was something she’d thought about a lot of the last couple of months. She thought they’d moved past this…But it wasn’t the first time she’d been wrong.

Mae looks up at Sam with a frown. “Yeah, we’re sure.” She looks back to Lilly with a small smile. “You know we wouldn’t have bothered you unless it was important. I know you were tinkering with dream rituals since you last took dream root, would any of that be helpful?”

Lilly lifts her eyebrow as her eyes linger on Sam giving him ample time to change his mind before she blinks and turns to Mae. “Yeah.” She nods,“Thoth and Maat are always encouraging me to do rituals, so I’ve been playing around with different herbs to create a dream inhibitor. I have to warn you… It’s kinda disorienting, but I started on it the night I took a trip through your dreams so it’s not like; Thoth approved.” She explains carefully, wanting Sam to know exactly what this was as she watches him from the corner of her eye.

“Well that sounds great. Wait…” Dean tilts his head to the side as an uncomfortable thought occurs to him. “Were you experimenting on yourself?”

Lilly watches Sam’s eyes crinkle in thought for a moment before he lets out a sigh. She turns to look up Dean. “Who else am I going to experiment on?” She scoffs as she crosses her arms across her chest. “I’ve already got one made, but I could whip up three more in like twenty minutes. I wrote it down.” She explains as she starts for the kitchen, after gathering the sheet in her hand. 

“Why don’t you get some clothes on babe? That sheet is like five times your size.”

“It’s quicker, and I was sleeping.” Lilly shrugs.

“I got a soft bathrobe…” Dean tries to tempt her.

“No point, these sheets already ruined Dean.” Lilly calls out as she opens the linen closet and turns on the switch before she scans it and gently grabs the last three gray pillow cases and folds them over her arm before walking out. Good bye three thousand thread count egyptian cotton set. She sighs as she flips the light off, shuts the door, and heads down the stairs to the kitchen.

Mae lifts an eyebrow at Lilly’s choice in material. Those were her from her best bed set, and her favorite. She had a feeling she knew exactly what she was getting Lilly for Christmas this year. 

Dean just rolls his eyes and follows her, not convinced she wouldn’t trip down the stairs.

Sam runs his hand through his hair as he looks down at Mae. “She’s been practising magic?” He asks her with a concerned look.

Mae narrows her eyes. “No, it’s not magic, it’s rituals. Bobby taught her a few.”

Sam raises his eyebrow at Mae’s challenging tone. “I think there’s a difference between Bobby doing rituals and Lilly.” He counters with a frown. 

“Maybe. Bobby does say she’s better at them than he is.”

“You know that’s not what I meant Mae. What if she does something reckless? She’s making her own rituals. That can be dangerous, and Lilly’s judgement is shaky at best.”

Mae shrugs. “Before we ever knew what we were she was making up her own rituals. Nothing has changed except now she researches parameters first.”

Sam just lets out a sigh. It’s not like there was an alternative. He rubs the back of his neck; and this had been his idea in the first place. He wasn’t even sure what he was feeling towards Lilly right now. He frowns as he thinks about their earlier conversation. He supposed it all boiled down to Lilly should have taken better care of Mae. Her selfishness, and reckless behavior had put them both in serious danger. “And that’s supposed to make it okay? She brews drugs Mae.”

Mae takes a deep breath. “You convinced me to keep those flowers Sam. Because it’s the only painkiller that works for me.” 

“And I’m starting to think that was a stupid idea.” Sam admits with a frown. “It’s not like you’re ever getting that surgery again.” 

Mae puts her fists on her waist. “You didn’t have a problem giving it to me when I had a ghost inflicted broken arm.” 

Sam’s eyes sweep over Mae as he thinks about it. “I don’t trust her judgement. What if she messes up a ritual, that she’s decided to try on a whim and you get hurt Mae? I won’t let that happen.”

“I’m not asking you to trust her judgment. That’s between you and Lilly.” Mae let’s out a sigh. “But don’t ask me to like it, or follow it. I trust Lilly. I’ve always trusted Lilly. She made a mistake Sam. We both did. I’m not asking you to do anything with that other than maybe understand that we aren’t perfect.”

“I just got you back Mae and she’s dragging you into more danger. I don’t know what I’m going to do if I lose you Mae.” Sam frowns at her. “She just left you in a warehouse; to do…” He trails off thinking about it before he shakes his head. “God only knows what with who ever; where she almost got killed. For all we know she OD’d on something and someone resuscitated her... She’s notorious for lying about shit like that.” 

“She didn’t OD. She didn’t have any drugs in her system. Cass checked.” Mae points out. “I really don’t understand where all this hostility towards her is coming from.”

Sam shakes his head. “Of course you wouldn’t. You hold her on too high of a pedestal Mae. It’s like you don’t even realize the danger both of you were in. You just let her walk over you like a welcome mat, baby… I just… I’m worried about you.”

Mae takes a step back from Sam, her eyes overbright and her lips thin. “I prefer to think I’m just understanding and forgiving. I wouldn’t have anyone in my life right now if I wasn’t. Not even you.”

Sam’s eyes sweep over her as he brings up his hand to rub his neck nervously. He recognized a dangerous area when he saw one. He didn’t blame her, he’d really fucked up the last couple months, but he’d learned his lesson. He wasn’t sure Lilly even understood that concept. It had been bad enough when Lilly was reckless with her own life; but now with Mae? That was just unacceptable. “I know Mae, but I feel like you let Lilly get away with too much shit.”

“I could have told Devon no. I could have never mentioned it to Lilly. I could have decided at any moment it was a bad idea and we shouldn’t do it. I am entirely able to make those calls. But I didn’t. I wanted to do it. It was a bad idea, a bad call, it was stupid. It was reckless. It was everything I know I shouldn’t have done. But it was my call. If you are going to be this mad at Lilly, then why aren’t you mad at me?” Mae asks softly as she wraps her arms around herself. 

Sam takes a deep breath as he meets Mae’s eyes. “Because if it wasn’t for Lilly, you would have never made a deal with a drug dealer in the first place.” He swings out his arms, as if it had been obvious. “I mean how many times are you going to let her manipulate you into dangerous situations where she plays chance with your life? Why are you constantly allowing her to treat you like a welcome mat! We get it! She had a shitty childhood! Who fucking cares? We all did! She can’t keep using it as an excuse for her neurotic, self destructive reckless behavior. And it’s ridiculous it’s taken it this long before one of us said it. Open your eyes Mae.”

Mae takes a shaky breath. “What are you talking about? How many times do you think she’s gotten me into a dangerous situation?”

“When you two decided to investigate those kids, and walked into a haunted house? When Castiel contacted her, to let him know he needed help? Dragging you to meet her gods? The drug deal? The siren? Was it really so important to clean that room? And who the hell fucking knows about the rest. She lies about about everything!.”

“That’s not fair Sam. How the hell were we supposed to know there was a ghost? Wait, you are seriously blaming Lilly for all that? Why? How? I wanted to meet Maat and Thoth. They’ve been good to her and to all of us.” Mae shakes her head as tears fall down her cheeks. “I wasn’t even in danger on that one-”

“Whether they worked in your favor or not it was still thoughtless!” Sam hisses in exasperation, before he shakes his head. He looks at Mae and lets out a sigh when he see’s that she’s crying. He closes his mouth, feeling instantly deflated. What had he said to make her cry?

Mae closes her eyes for a moment. She felt like she was barely holding it together at the moment. She felt shaky and scared and confused. It wasn’t like Lilly needed her to defend her, but she couldn’t let this go. “That is the point Sam.You tell me to trust my instincts and I do.” 

“When did I question your instincts?” Sam asks defensively with his brow raised.

“You’re questioning my judgment, my instincts every time you tell me I let her drag me places. It’s demeaning.” Mae’s voice was slowly starting to raise as well. “I chose to go to that house with the kids because I felt like something was wrong.”

“But whose idea was it to go to the house? Whose idea was it to do the babysitting?” Sam counters. “You’re not like that Mae, you would have asked for help instead of taking it into your own hands, she doesn’t think and then you feel obligated to go along because she can’t take care of herself.”

 

“I wanted to babysit, I wanted to help. We had no idea it was going to be a ghost. We weren’t planning on taking on a case. It’s Sioux Falls, isn’t it strange enough that we have Fae, a soul bound priestess and hunters?”

“But I’m not hearing that it wasn’t Lilly’s brilliant idea.” Sam sighs as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“Because I can’t say that it was or wasn’t. It’s definitely something I would have jumped at, even volunteered for if the parent’s had asked.” Mae hugs herself tighter, her heart was beating so hard she was surprised Sam couldn’t hear it. “I don’t remember how we started babysitting!”

Sam lets out a sigh. “I’m not saying you wouldn’t offer. I’m saying you wouldn’t have volunteered to do it just on the bases you thought the child was being abused. You would have done it for other reasons.”

Mae pulls in a shaky breath. “I don’t follow her blindly Sam.” 

“When’s the last time you told her no, Mae?” Sam challenges with a raised brow. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you tell her no.”

“I tell her no all the time.” Mae shouts in exasperation.

Sam blinks as he holds up his hands defensively. “Look at how defensive you're getting. You never yell. But I point out a couple of her flaws and suddenly you start? What am I supposed to think about that?”

“That I never expected the man I love to attack my sister.” Mae shakes her head. She tries to swallow, but realizes that her mouth is dry. What was she suppose to do? She’d already decided that she was going to stand her ground on this, but all she wanted to do was break down and cry. She wasn’t strong, she was weak. She needed her family right now, but Sam couldn’t trust Lilly.

“I’m not attacking her Mae!” Sam snaps in frustration as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m just saying she has shittty judgement and you just go with it; when you know better because of some twisted fear of her leaving or something! Guess what, she ain’t leaving. She doesn’t have anyone one else to take care of her!” 

Mae trembles. She was cold, shaking with it. Her chest was tight and she felt like she couldn’t breath. “You don’t understand. I don’t take care of her, she takes care of...” Her voice trails off, she couldn’t even finish. Before she even knows what she’s doing she finds herself halfway down the stairs. 

Sam’s eyes widen in surprise as he bolts after her, calling out her name; only to find Dean struggling to restrain Mae at the bottom of the kitchen stairs. He pauses before he races down to meet them. 

Dean struggles to hold Mae in place without hurting her. “Mae, I got ya. Come on hun, ya gotta calm down.” He tries to pull her to his chest. He knew from experience that she bolted like a terrified rabbit. He couldn’t let her run off into her sanctuary, no matter how much he wished he could let her be alone right now. 

Sam rushes over to Dean and Mae, unsure how this had even escalated so much. “Mae, baby. I’m sorry. Please just breathe.” He instructs calmly, as one of her fists narrowly miss his face. He grimaces as he gently grabs her wrist, and tugs her off balance. She falls against his chest and he quickly restrains her with her arms to her side. “Mae, baby. Please. Just breathe.”

“Oh yeah, now ya tell her to breath.” Dean shakes his head as he stands. His eyes sweep over Sam and Mae and he grimaces when Mae elbows Sam in the ribs after stomping on his instep. He jumps in quickly and grabs her before she can get completely free.

Sam groans in pain even as he tries to pulls her back to him; his heart breaking as she lets out a scream of fear.

“Enough!” Thoth barks as he stares at the scene in front of him blankly.

Sam and Dean freeze as Maat slides Mae out of their grip before the two of them disappear.

“What the fuck!” Sam growls out as he looks around in confusion. 

“Oh I’m sorry, do you feel like you were making her condition better?” Thoth asks with an expectant eyebrow raise.

“You have no right to drag her away like that.” Sam tenses his jaw as he balls his hands into fists at his side.

Dean looks between Thoth and Sam before looking over to Lilly who seemed to still be focused on the ritual.

“We didn’t drag her anywhere, we teleported her to our pocket realm where she could climb a tree.” Thoth states as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Where my wife, who I assure you is more competent than you, is attempting to calm her.” He states calmly meeting the young Winchesters gaze coolly.

Sam’s jaw tenses as his fists clench at his sides. “I didn’t-”

Dean claps a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Let it go man. You saw her. She was terrified. She normally runs outside when she’s upset.” He lets out a sigh. He couldn’t say he would be handling this any better if it was Lilly that had been taken, in fact he historically hadn’t. This was different though.

Sam shuts his mouth after a moment of thought. What the fuck? How had this turned into such a circus so quickly. He shakes his head. “Some warning would've been nice.” 

Thoth narrows his eyes. “Would you rather we not intervene with Mae? We’ve been doing so as a service to Lilly. She’s grown on us, but we’ll step back and have her returned, panicking and hurting herself if you prefer.”

Sam takes a deep breath. No, he didn’t want her hurt or suffering. He turns and walks away from Dean and Thoth as he runs his hands through his hair. He braces his hands against the table and works on calming down.

“Your welcome.” Thoth comments as he watches Sam walk away before returning to look at Dean and then Lilly. His eyes sweep over her before he turns back to Dean and looks at him expectantly.

Dean shakes his head and rubs one hand over his face. “We think angels are pestering the girls in their sleep. Mae woke up saying Lucifer was in her dreams.”

“Is that what made Mae panic?” Thoth asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Well… I mean it probably didn’t help.” Dean defects. How the hell was he in this position? His brother was fighting with his girlfriend’s sister over his girlfriend. That felt like some high school drama shit.

Lilly walks over and pushes a pillow into Dean’s chest. “Here.” She states, before she turns to look at Thoth. “Sam and Mae got into an argument. She’s been under a lot of stress and Sam raised his voice and set her off. Just normal signs of PTSD. Which we obviously didn’t have a contingency plan for, I was worried she was going to get hurt and Maat was the first person I thought of.” She explains as she runs her hand through her hair. “So, thank you for responding so quickly, we all appreciate it. But, we’re tired and stressed and I’m standing in front of you in a sheet and I would like to go have some beautifully dreamless sleep.”

Thoth raises an eyebrow. “You’re welcome. Good night.”

Lilly holds out a pillow. “If you end up keeping Mae there, because she’s freaked the fuck out, I made this pillow for dreamless sleep. I would appreciate you giving it to her.” She adds watching as he takes the pillow. “Thank you for everything. Good night.” She dismisses as she walks over to Sam and places the last pillow on the table before she exits the kitchen, sheet trailing behind her.

Thoth looks between Dean and Sam. “We will return Mae when Maat deems she is calm enough.” He states as a courtesy before he disappears.

Dean shakes his head. “What the hell happened Sam?”

Sam rolls his eyes before he stands up straight. “We got into fight.” He breaths out.

“Yeah, I heard. Every god damned word of it.” Dean crosses his arms over his chest as he leans back against the counter.

Sam stares at Dean and raises his eyebrow. “And…?” He asks.

Dean snorts. “You cocky bitch. Why did that seem like a good idea to you? Now? You’re going to start a fight over Lilly right now? Mae fucking needs you man. She needs Bobby and me and Cass. She needs Lilly. What part of that fucking conversation where you bash my girlfriend and her sister felt like a good idea?” 

Sam runs a hand through his hair. “We don’t have a lot of room for error if you haven’t noticed Dean. They were stupid, and Lilly was the damn ring leader again. They went to do a fucking drug deal Dean, knowing it’s the end of the world. That wasn’t on Mae.”

“The fuck it ain’t. It was both of them. They both knew better. But what the fuck ever! It’s done.Ya didn’t need ta drag that other shit into it.” Dean asks as he throws his arms out. “The babysitting and the gods? We’ve got enough problems without that shit being dragged outta the damn past. None of us are fuckin’ innocent man!”

“Mae is! Every time Lilly runs off Mae’s fine. But every time Lilly fucking enters the picture it’s a damn mess!” Sam sighs as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Lilly fucking drags them into the shit, almost every fucking time Dean.” He snaps. “You know I’m right.”

“Are you kidding me Sam? Mae fell apart when Lilly ran off. I was here. Ya both got lost in the woods for a bit after I died-”

“Lilly doesn’t treat Mae like an adult, she does everything for her to keep her- Like content or something- I don’t even know, it’s just wrong!” Sam argues.

“They take care of each other like a fucking family.” Dean rolls his eyes. “You would have a fucking problem with that.”

Sam flings out his hands in exasperation. “What they have is a twisted dictatorship, where apparently Lilly can do no wrong!”

“You really aren’t fucking listening. Mae and I and even Lilly fucking are agreeing with you. It was stupid, they know that. Lilly knows that!

“Sure, this time. She knows this time.” Sam counters angrily. “I know Mae knows it was stupid because she apologizes for almost every decision she makes with Lilly.” Sam responds haughtily. “The only thing I’m sure about Lilly, is that she fucking twists shit so Mae just goes along with it.”

“You know Mae’s a fucking adult right? And has more hunter training than Lilly does? Or did you fucking forget that?” Dean rolls his eyes as he crosses his arms again.

“Yes, I know that Dean. What I’m saying is that Mae all but idolizes Lilly and she shouldn’t. We can’t afford to keep repeating the same mistakes. Lilly’s going to get them both killed- If not found by an Angel- Hell maybe the demons too. She gave away their position Dean.”

Dean rolls his eyes again. “Oh come on Sam, that’s some fucking bullshit. She said she was in fucking Candyland. It’s not like she gave coordinates, or fuck, even a state. She said fucking Candyland. And now they know that angels can and possibly are trying to talk to them in their dreams. Does it suck? Yeah, but it could’ve easily been any of us. So lay it fucking down.”

Sam takes a deep breath as he runs his hands through his hair and thinks about it before he shakes his head. “But it wasn’t. It was Lilly; like it always is.”

Dean glares at Sam, his eyes glint dangerously. “That ain’t true and ya fucking know it. Move on to another argument Sam, you and I ain’t ready for that conversation.”

Sam’s eyes narrow. “Are you kidding me? Lilly is like a dowsing rod of shit luck and worse decisions and it follows her around like a cloud of destruction.”

“Mae has had her share of problems Sam. Since you seem to want to have this conversation right fucking now.” Dean’s brow furrows as he walks over to the island between them and braces his palms against the countertop. “Mae’s entire family died within a year. That’s strange, we thought it was strange, even Bobby thinks it’s fucking weird. But we can’t do anything about it, it’s too old.”

“Do you not remember that Lilly was there for all of those events?” Sam argues with an eyeroll.

Dean continues as if he didn’t hear Sam. “And then, come to find out, fucking Fae are a thing and Mae’s half one. She’s half of something we’ve never even heard of, can’t even find much information on.”

“Oh and how many dual souled cursed priestesses have we met Dean?” Sam counters tone scathingly. 

Dean rolls his eyes. “Then she becomes a target for Uriel. Remember him? Lilly had nothing to fucking do with that one. In fact she tried to warn us that Mae was gone.”

“Yeah, just like I remember Allistair. And if I remember correctly she was there when Mae was taken.” Sam growls, her eyes narrowed.

“Well Lilly wasn’t there when fucking Lilith showed up was she?” Dean shakes his head.

Sam scoffs. “So the one time? Which was apparently in some fucked up prophecy, that all of us are apart of; including Lilly.”

“Yeah, color us all fucking cursed. And you’re damned wrong if you think that was part of the prophecy. No man, that was Lilith understanding you all too goddamned well because you were best pals with a fucking demon. She knew exactly what buttons to push. She knew that to get you in the convent, to make you forget everything else, to really get under your skin, she had to threaten Mae. That’s not on Lilly Sam, that’s on you.”

Sam narrows his eyes at Dean even as he shuts his mouth; his jaw tensing as he looks away from Dean. “The only reason I started anything with Ruby was to find a way to get you back, and use her to find Lilly.”

Dean shakes his head. “I know that Sam. I fucking know that. But you got in way too deep. You started drinking fucking demon blood. You might have started out with those intentions, but why did ya keep it up once Lilly and I were back? And yer ass best not be on fucking demon blood right now so what’s your goddamned excuse for all this?” He crosses his arms in front of his chest.

Sam drops his eyes. “I don’t fucking know man... She’s just a mess everywhere she goes, and she drags Mae into it every time there’s an opportunity. Sure nothing that bad happened this time; but what about next time?” 

“What about when they’re out with us? What about our next hunt? We’re not exactly in a safe line of work Sam, and it looks like they’re getting dragged into it.” Dean lets out a sigh. “Like it or not, they’re in this. We knew we couldn’t leave them here. But god fucking damn it am I glad we didn’t take ‘em with us.”

Sam falls silent for a moment. War had certainly lived up to his name sake. He really wasn’t sure how that would have turned out. He growls slightly before rolling his eyes. He didn’t want to admit that Dean was right. He didn’t even know why he was pushing Dean this far; or why he’d pushed Mae. Lilly was just pissing him off with her reckless behavior and disregard for their safety, and everyone seemed chalked full of excuses. However Dean had him here. He wasn’t sure what effect War would have had on Mae. It was like bouncing between a rock and a hard place.

“No? Nothing else?” Dean ducks his head as he searches Sam’s face. “‘So tell me Sammy, was it fucking worth it?”

Sam rolls his eyes.”Is it ever?” He questions with a sigh as he pushes off the table. “Point made.” 

Dean lets out a sigh. “This is a fucked up, stressful situation Sammy. We’re use to shit always hitting us. I mean, am I happy we’re in some shitty prophecy? No, but whatever, we can deal with it. But the girls? No, they don’t know how to deal with this. How can they possibly know how to deal with this when we don’t even know what the fuck we’re doing?”

Sam rubs his temples, “I hear you.” He admits with a sigh as he looks down at the table. Maybe this latest venture had just been the last straw of patience he had for the situation? He really wasn’t sure.

Dean nods. “We good?” 

“Yeah man, we’re good.” Sam sighs in defeat.

“Great.” Dean breathes out as he walks away; worried about Lilly.


	17. Chapter 15

39

Sam and Mae’s argument was bouncing around Lilly’s head, and even a shower hadn’t helped clear her mind. How many of those have they been in over her? Lilly sighs as she pulls her brush through a knot in her hair. She’d really been doing her best to just stay out of it, but then the two had decided to straddle her damn sister during a panic attack; she couldn’t help herself when she saw that. Yet another wonderful contribution from her decision making skills. Sam was pissed, Dean was… maybe pissed? Mae was off with Maat, hopefully calming down and Thoth was being his usual self; which hopefully involved not killing Sam for being an asshole. She’d had every intention of going back to sleep, but when she’d heard Dean and Sam going at it, she’d given up and started her morning ritual. She really had a knack for pissing people off. 

Lilly sighs as she throws her hair up in a bun before picking up her toothbrush. Sam was just worried about Mae. She really hadn’t realized how often she’d put her at risk over the last couple of years. She begins to furiously scrub her teeth. Had she always been that irresponsible? Or was this a newer response? She really wasn’t sure, and that uncertainty was eating at her. She’d spent her whole life trying to keep Mae safe. This felt like a hard slap of reality. Lilly slams her toothbrush back in it’s holder before washing her face. At least it seemed like Dean and Sam had either knocked each other out, or had walked away from one another. She’d have to go check... Eventually. She doubted that they had managed to land on the damned pillows if it was the former.

“Lilly? I thought you were going back to bed.” Dean steps into the bathroom with a frown on his face. “Why’d ya need another shower?”

Lilly turns and looks at Dean. “You can never take too many showers.” She greets him with a shrug.

Dean shakes his head with a smile before he leans back against the wall behind him and crosses his arms in front of him. “I’m sorry about earlier babe. Sam was out of line.”

Lilly’s brows furrow together. “Not really.” She shrugs. 

Dean narrows his eyes. “Yeah, he was. You and Mae made a mistake. It was stupid, but it’s on both of ya.” He shakes his head as he rubs the back on his neck, “He has no right to be getting mad at just one of ya. And he certainly shouldn’t have been yelling at Mae about it after knocking on our door asking for a favor. That was just dumb on his part.”

“Really? It’s not like Mae’s been a paragon of health Dean. She’s under a lot of stress and still dealing with the shit Lilith fucking did to her. I shouldn’t have even given the deal any thought. It was stupid, but it was a decision I made with all of my mental facilities.” Lilly’s eyes tighten for a moment as she forms a connection and sighs, “Mae wanted it because the idea of a club is familiar when she’s like this, it was one of the last things I promised I take her to before… Everything…” She shakes her head, “I just wasn’t thinking about it.” She sighs as she runs a hand through her hair. “And I do talk Mae into doing a lot of shit.” She admits with a frown. “So like, he wasn’t even wrong.”

Dean groans. “I just had this fight with Sam.” He runs his hands down his face, tugging slightly at his skin. “Fuck I wish I’d taken notes, I said some good shit.”

Lilly lifts her eyebrow as she turns and leans against the sink, unable to keep the small smile from her face. She felt bad, but she couldn’t help it. “I’m not looking to fight Dean. I just don’t disagree with Sam.”

Dean snorts. “Really? That’s the defense you’re giving me here?”

“All I said is I’m not looking to fight.” Lilly responds cheekily as she steps up to him, going on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck before she pulls up and wrap her legs around his waist. “But I feel like this is a poor use of our time together.” She all but purrs into his ear before nipping it playfully. “When we could be doing other things.” She adds as she trails kisses along his jaw. She needed the distraction and felt like he did too.

Dean chuckles as he wraps his arms around her. “It does feel like a bad use of time.” He lets out a sigh. Sam was out of line, and it had done nothing but hurt Mae and Lilly. He knew it was probably more stress than anything else, but dammit if he couldn’t make a big deal out of this right now, then Sam shouldn’t get to either. Mae was fine; Lilly was the one who nearly died and then miraculously recovered. Out of all the things they should be upset about right now, not knowing what the hell happened to Lilly should be at the top of the list. 

He shakes his head, at least she hadn’t cut this time; his eyes narrow for a moment, or he hope she hadn’t. He was going to have to check. The last time Sam had accused Lilly of ‘fucking up Mae’s life’ she’d gone out and gotten a fucking back piece to memorialize her fucking guilt. He had just been ignoring it. What the hell was he even supposed to do about that? She’d fucking marked herself damned. It tore at him every time he thought about it; the permanent reminder of what she thought of herself.

“So let’s utilize it properly, I already changed the sheets.” Lilly whispers against his lips before she claims them. What was going through his head? She was all but rubbing herself all over him, in invitation, what was distracting him like this? She pulls away as her eyes scan his face. He looked sad for a moment before he realized she was watching him.

Dean smiles as he sets her back on her feet. “You’re a bit overdressed. Here, let me help.” He laughs as he deftly untwists the knot holding her towel up. He lifts an eyebrow in appreciation as it pools on the floor.

“Dean!” Lilly squeaks at the sudden cold as she quickly crosses her arms over her breasts with a blush. “You’re the one whose overdressed, tit for tat sir.” She demands as she steps closer to him, her hands going to the hem of his shirt as she tugs it up. “Off.”

“Easy fix babe.” Dean teases as he steps into her leaning down to claim her lips as he appreciates the view he was getting in the mirror behind her. “I’m sure you-” He stops as notices her tattoo. Something was different about it.

Lilly looks up at Dean in confusion; why had he stopped? She frowns as she shakes her head. Show him to ignore her. She drops his shirt and quickly moves to unbutton his jeans, her thumbs hooking them she so she could remove the offending article standing between her and sex. She was a second away from succeeding before she finds herself stopped by Dean. 

Dean spins her to face the mirror and bends her over the counter so he could get a good look at her back under the light. Sure enough, it was different. The heart was lighter than the feather. How the fuck did that happen? When did that happen?

Lilly can’t help the surprised noise that leaves her lips as she finds herself pressed between the cool counter and Dean in confusion. She frowned; Dean certainly could be aggressive sexually, but she usually had to bait him into it. What the hell was going on? “Dean?” She asks as she turns to look at him with concern. “You okay Cowboy…”

Dean traces the scale with the pads of his fingers. “What the fuck?” He asks in a kind of awe as he lightly touches her skin.

Lilly’s head hits the marble counter with a thud. “Is that what this about?” She sighs with an eyeroll as she taps her nails against the counter. “Yeah, it got altered."

“How?”

“Thoth.” Lilly breathes as she rests her cheek against the marble. “Maat…” She trails off as she tries to find the appropriate description for exactly what Maat had thought of the piece. “Was displeased...So Thoth altered it.” She breaths out.

Dean lifts his brow in surprise. “So, what I’m hearing is that no one liked it.”

“Apparently…” Lilly comments with a rolls of her eyes. “Though I personally thought Clay did an amazing job with the original work.” She mumbles under her breath as she pushes off the counter to turn and talk to him. 

Dean shakes his head. “It looks the same. Just, you know, I’m not angry looking at it.” He admits with a small smile.

“It was just a tattoo.” Lilly sighs as her eyes sweep over him curiously, but avoids eye contact.

“It was the meaning Lilly. You know that.” Dean narrows his eyes sternly at her as he presses a knuckle under her chin and pulls her head up to look at him,. “You know that.”

“Right, well it’s changed now… So no worries right?” Lilly asks as she steps forward placing both of her hands firmly against his chest. “And you know, we were doing other things.”

“Yeah, I had plans for that position.” Dean shrugs. “And then you moved.”

Lilly blinks before she quickly moves back to the counter and bends over it. “Now I’m back.” She teases as she looks over her shoulder with an inviting smile. “So you can lose the pants.”

Dean chuckles as he runs his nails down her spine. He bends down to kiss her shoulder while watching her in the mirror.

Lilly can’t help the low moan as she attempts to push back into Dean with no leverage. “Dean! You’re still wearing clothes.” She growls out in annoyance. 

“Right.” Dean chuckles again as he pulls his tee off. “Let me fix that.”

.40.

Sam stares down at the gray pillow, the current bane of his existence. What the fuck had he been thinking? He didn’t feel like he was in the wrong necessarily, but he definitely felt like he could have found a better way to handle the situation. And here he was several hours later, waiting for Mae to returned by Lilly’s pagan gods who were doing- He really wasn’t sure what. Why the fuck did they even want to be around Lilly? If it was just for the poor priestess trapped in the insane runt wouldn’t they have killed her by now? It didn’t make sense, everything surrounding Lilly was a contradictory mess. Maybe that’s why the damned idiot has no common sense? He sniffs indignantly as he wipes his hand down his face in exasperation. Now he was making excuses for the shitty behavior!

“Do you mind if I interrupt your thoughts for a moment?”

Sam immediately jumps to his feet, demon knife drawn as he alerts to the unfamiliar voice. When his eyes fall on Maat he relaxes just slightly but doesn’t completely lower the knife. “Where’s Mae?” He demands.

“She is in her bedroom upstairs.” Maat explains with a small smile. “You can go check if you’d like.” She adds. “I just wanted to speak with you. You have very loud thoughts.” She steps away from the stairs and into the kitchen, giving Sam a wide berth.

She was a mind reader? Sam’s grip on the knife tightens at her words, his eyes sweeping over her in concern. When she doesn’t make any movements he lets out a sigh, his eyes darting towards the stairs before he looks back to Maat.

“Yes, much like Mae can read emotions. I’m a goddess of truth and justice, it’s a necessary ability.” Maat shrugs delicately. 

“Right, that makes sense.” Sam reasons with himself. “You wanted to speak with me?” He asks with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yes. As Mae’s significant other I just wanted to let you know that while Mae did calm down, she ended up passing out in the middle of our conversation. I believe she’s ill, and I didn’t want to leave her unattended. I would have awoken Lilly, but that didn’t seem to be in anyone's best interest.” Maat explains with an apologetic smile.

“Mae’s sick?” Sam asks with his brows drawn together in confusion. “Like from the anxiety attack?” He questions.

Maat ponders for a moment. “That could be it. I’m not familiar with the way her body responds to stress. I just wanted to forewarn you of her condition and make sure someone knew to check on her.”

“Oh… Well, thank you?” Sam states awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed.

Maat gives him a bright smile. “It is usually customary to thank someone when they do something favorable to you.”

“Right. Well, I’mma go check on her if that was all…” Sam trails off still watching the goddess cautiously. It was shit like this. If it weren’t for Lilly he wouldn’t be standing in the kitchen talking to a goddess at six forty five in the damn morning.

“Mae is… A very strong young woman Sam. I hope you know that. But she’s also very shaken right now. She needs all of her family that she has worked so hard to build after the trauma of her blood family’s deaths.” Maat takes a deep breath before she continues. “I know you blame Lilly for the, values Mae exhibited while she was held by the first demon, but you should know that what Mae did comes from a deep fear of losing her family again. That’s why she is so disturbed by her perceived betrayal and is going down a painful road of ‘what if’s’.” 

Sam brings his free hand up to his face and pinches the bridge of his nose; unsure if he should be grateful or annoyed. He takes a deep breath before sighing. It’s more than he’d been able to get from Mae; at least it gave him a starting point. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Maat smiles. “Thank you Sam.” She looks away for a moment before she turns back to him, taking a small step in his direction. “Also, one more thing. I extended my assistance to Mae, for when she needs to talk to someone, objectively of course. And I just wanted you to know, I’m offering the same to you. Council, just a friendly ear, someone to help you work on any... Issues you have, you need only to ask. Send me a prayer if you ever would like to talk.”

Sam lifts his eyebrow as his eyes sweep over the goddess in front of him. “Are you…” His eyes narrow in confusion. “Are you offering me counseling?” He asks, mortified. 

Maat smiles as she gives him a delicate shrug. “If that’s how you prefer to look at it. I don’t have to be a mind reader to see how much everything is weighing on you. It’s a lot of stress on your family’s shoulders and it’s understandable.” She tilts her head to the side. “Is that really such a strange offer? Obviously I’m already aware that you are a hunter, so it’s not like I would have you committed for talking about it. However I can’t help the surface thoughts I glean, sorry. Loud thoughts, not prying.” She blinks innocently as she clasps her hands in front of her.

Sam shifts in discomfort. “Great… I’ll keep that in mind.” He mumbles. “It was nice meeting you… I guess.”

“Well I’m very confident that it was nice meeting you.” Maat chuckles as she covers her smile with her hand. “Have a good night Samuel Winchester.” She smiles before she gives a soft wave and disappears.

Sam turns around to go upstairs, swinging the dagger up automatically in defense, only to have his hand stopped in a firm grip. He looks up and meet Thoth’s eyes. He can’t help but to tense as he looks to the god in surprise. “Where the fuck did you come from?!” He exclaims as he tugs his hand free and immediately steps backwards.

“Remember that.” Thoth smirks with amusement before he narrows his eyes and takes a step back. “Watch your temper. We aren’t a Winchester’s-don’t-know-how-to-deal-with-their-woman daycare. Get your shit together.” He scoffs, rolling his eyes before he disappears. 

Sam stares at the spot for another moment in disbelief. What the fuck was wrong with their lives. Did he just get fucking dating advice from pagan gods whose priestess he’d accused of ruining their lives. Well at least Mae’s life. He grimaces as he sheathes his knife after inspecting the room warily. Were there god wards too? This was fucking unsettling. He shakes his head before racing up the stairs. 

Sam sighs in relief when he see’s Mae exactly where Maat said she’d be. He can’t help but check her pulse as he looks her over. He puts a hand to her head and frowns, she was really warm. What was wrong with her? He looks around the room for extra blankets, and quickly covers her before heading to the bathroom and wetting a washcloth to lie on her head. How the hell had she even gotten sick? His frown deepens the longer he watches her, fists clenching by his side. He shook his head. He’d just call Bobby… But then he’d have to explain to Bobby why he was calling, and why he didn’t just go to Lilly. “Fuck.” He hisses as he pulls a hand through his hair. 

Mae’s eyes flutter open and she attempts to sit up. “Sam?” She calls out softly before she starts coughing and falls back against her pillows.

“Oh, Mae you’re up.” Sam sighs in relief as he crouches down next to her. “How are you feeling baby? Are you okay?” He asks as he runs his hand through her hair gently. 

After a few more coughs Mae tries to sit up again. “Just a little bleh, but it’s-” Another round of coughing cuts her off.

Sam puts his hand on her shoulder to gently keep her in place. “You’ve got a fever baby. Is there anything you usually take when you’re sick?”

Mae nods as she clears her throat. “It’s all in the first aid kit under the sink.”

Sam lets out a breath of relief. ‘I’ll be right back.” He tells her before he stands and quickly goes to retrieve it. He sits next to her, pulling the kit to his lap before he begins going through it. His brow lifts at several of the horribly punned creams and ointments she’d labeled Harpy’s brew only! With warning labels. His stomach drops as he looks at the items suspiciously. Fuck. What if they were all filled with opiates?

Mae puts one hand on his arm. “Sam?” 

“Yes Mae?” Sam asks in concern as he turns to look back at Mae dropping the ‘Harpy’s flew for cold’ back into the first aid kit.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I think I panicked.” Mae admits with a frown as she searched his eyes.

“I’m sorry about that, I was being a real prick to you earlier. It wasn’t fair to you… I’m sorry.” Sam admits as his eyes sweep over her and crinkle in concern when he see’s how glassy her eyes are. “And I’ll apologize again when you’re feeling better. I’m going to go make you some tea..”

Mae smiles. “Thank you, that sounds nice.”

Sam smiles as he brushes her hair with his fingers. “I love you baby.” He says softly as he stands up.

“Love you too.”

“I’ll be right back baby, need anything else?” Sam asks curiously as he makes his way to the door. He turns in confusion when she doesn’t answer to find Mae already fast asleep. He can’t help but to smile as he walks back to the bed, moving the first aid kit to the bedside table. He makes sure she’s comfortable and gets her a glass of water before he joins her in bed. If she was sleeping through it, they could find something for her in the morning.

41

Sam wakes up to Mae coughing the next morning, and Lilly looking in from the hallway curiously. 

“You really shouldn’t be sleeping with her Sam, she’s sick…” Lilly states flatly as she blinks at him.

“I’m fine.” Mae coughs even harder as she curls into a ball.

Sam turns and looks to Mae in disbelief. “No you’re not.”

“She’s sick, not dying. She must have picked up a bug. Immune systems are known to repress themselves under duress.” Lilly frowns. “Have you given her any medicine?” She asks, voice straining to remain patient. Mae was going to end up straining her throat. She just didn’t want to start another fight. It was bad enough Sam hadn’t bothered with the damn pillow. What did he think she’d made? A magical bomb or something? She crosses her arms over her chest as she struggles to stay patient. 

Mae shakes her head. “I just woke up.” She explains as she tries to push herself up to a sitting position.

Sam frowns as he gently supports Mae and pats Mae’s back. “I’ve got this Lilly.” He tells her dismissively.

Lilly’s eyes scan Sam for a moment, before she frowns. She turns on her heel and heads away from the room without another word.

“I’m really fine. It’s just a cold or something.” Mae pauses as she starts coughing again. “I’ve got stuff in my kit in the bathroom.” She finally manages to finish.

Sam nods as he looks over to the bedside table. He’d been a bit of a dick last night. He sighs as he stands up and goes to the kit and to pull out the Harpy flew for a cold. He sighs as he reads the lid’s instructions, before he opens the bottle and shakes out two hand filled pills that were the color of mud. His nose twitches at the sight. “I thought she color coded the first aid supplies…” He asks as he hands the pills to Mae. 

“She hasn’t done that to pills since I was twenty.” Mae chuckles before it turns into another round of coughs.

Sam gives her a small smile as he reaches over and hands her the glass. “Is there a reason all your medicine is marked with Harpy only?”

Mae takes the pills and downs the water before she looks back to Sam. “I dunno. I never asked.”

Sam furrows his eyebrows before just blows out his breath and lets it go. He’d just have to ask Lilly. He looks back to Mae. “Do you need anything? I’mma go grab you some tea.”

Mae shakes her head. “No. I’m good. But can you just sit with me for a second? I feel bad about last night.” She scoots back until she can lean against her headboard before she tugs at the blankets.

Sam sweeps his eyes over her as he steps back into the room and sits next to her. “Mae, if this is about last night, you’re not the one who needs to apologize. I am.“ He admits as he adjusts the blankets around her more securely. “I acted like an ass last night, and I’m sorry. I never should have yelled at you. I’m sorry I scared you.” He tells her sincerely as he meets her gaze. “I shouldn’t have talked about Lilly like that. It wasn’t fair to you. I’m sorry.”

“That means a lot to me Sam. Thank you.” Mae takes his hand in her’s. “But I am sorry too.”

Sam smiles as he squeezes her hand gently. “ What are you sorry for?” He asks curiously.

Mae watches as Sam’s thumb plays over her wrist with a small smile. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that something was wrong, that I was getting scared. You’re not a mind reader, and I was trying really hard to just be okay. But I wasn’t.” 

Sam can’t help the smile as he watches her. “Hey, don’t be too hard on yourself Mae. I know it was hard to hear that last night, and I’m sorry. I should have never opened my mouth…” He shakes his head as he looks down at her again. “I guess we both can learn something from last night.” He added with a rueful smile. He wasn’t sure what he was learning though; besides what crow tastes like. Maybe it really was just all the stress. Lilly had done her fair of shit to help him and Dean out; he just had a problem with the way she treated Mae.

Mae nods slowly. “I love you.”

Sam smiles as he leans down and kisses the crown of her hair. “I love you too baby.” 

“I’m icky.” Mae pouts.

Sam leans back and chuckles. “Want me to go run you a bath?” He asks cautiously. “Then I’ll go run and get you some tea.”

“Oooh, that sounds nice.” Mae smiles back at him. 

Sam beams at her. “I’ll go get that started then.” He tells her as he stands up, maneuvering the pillows so she could sit up properly; careful to make sure the gray pillow would be the one she’d pass out on, with a twist of guilt. He disappears into the bathroom, the water running not a moment later. “What scent? There’s like ten!” He calls out then not a moment later. “Nevermind, I found the citrus one!” He mumbles not a second later.

Mae chuckles, secretly happy he knew which scent was her favorite. Even if it wasn’t the one she would have used while sick.

Sam comes out several minutes later. “Alright it’s ready.” He smiles at her as he walks over and scoops her out of bed. 

Sam puts her on her feet once they're in the bathroom. He slowly removes the blankets and folds them for later use. He turns back around to find Mae struggling to take off her shirt. He shakes his head, unable to stop the smile as he helps her. “Here you go baby.” He smiles at her, as he helps her retain balance. He places her hands on his chest to help stabilize her as helps her undress. When she’s nude, he picks her back up before gently placing her in the large tub, loaded with bubbles and smelling strongly of oranges and lemons. “There.” He smiles at her. “Now, do you want a specific type of tea?” He asks. 

“Ginger tea?” Mae asks as she sinks into the warm water happily. “I’m all achy.”

“Sure thing baby. I’ll be back in a moment, okay?” Sam assures her as he stands back up.

“Thanks my hero.” Mae smiles as she leans back and closes her eyes.

“You’re welcome baby.” Sam chuckles as he heads down to the kitchen, only to pause when his eyes land on the gray pillow. He looks between it and the bathroom, before he goes and picks it up and brings it to Mae. “Oh here. I figured you could use it as a headrest.” He greets her as he bends to gently lifts her head and slides the pillow into place. He smiles at her, “Be right back with that ginger tea.” 

“You’ve thought of everything. Thank you.” Mae sighs contently as she relaxes.

“Your welcome.” Sam smiles at her before he heads down to the kitchen, his steps growing more unsure as he made his way to the kitchen. He could smell something cooking. “Fuck.” He sighs as he mentally prepares for the ensuing conversation. He rounds the corner, his eyes sweeping the kitchen, only to find Lilly in front of the stove, stirring a pot. 

Lilly looks up at the curse, turning as her eyes land on Sam. She looks him over, before she just turns back to the stove. “Morning Sam.” She greets after a moment's thought.

Sam lifts an eyebrow in surprise. This was starting differently than he had imagined. “Morning.” He greets, running one hand through his hair.

Lilly nods and adds something else to the pot. “I’m making oatmeal for breakfast.”

“Sounds good.” Sam nods as he heads over to where the teas were kept. His eyes scan over the labels before he pulls out the right container. He turns to the electric kettle only to find a steaming tea pot already set up, with a jar of honey. “Ginger?”

“And echinacea.” Lilly hums as she stirs the pot. 

“Ah. Good call.” Sam lets out a sigh. She was really just trying to help take care of Mae, just like she had for years. How could he be pissed at her for not taking better care of Mae while also pissed at her for trying to take care of Mae? “Okay wait. I can’t do this.” He turns and looks at Lilly.

Lilly turns to him. “Then pour it out then, and make it again. I don’t care Sam, it’s just tea.” She says before turning back to the pot; the whisk hitting against the pot roughly.

Sam furrows his brow and shakes his head. “Alright, fair. I can see why you thought that was where I was going.” He takes a deep breath. “Look, I’m not going to apologize for what I said; but I was a dick last night. That was unfair to everyone, and I’m sorry.”

Lilly shrugs. “It’s fine Sam. Don’t worry about it.” She looks down at the pot and moves it off the burner and places the lid on it. “Oatmeals done.” She tells him as she turns around her eyes sweeping over Sam. She hadn’t disagreed with him last night either. It was just annoying not being allowed to help when she knew she could. She shakes her head and starts gathering the ingredients for a mediterranean dish she was making for her gods for their assistance last night.

“Okay. I just, think we’re gonna have to talk about it eventually.” Sam shrugs as he gathers the tea pot, honey and a mug onto a tray.

Lilly turns and looks at Sam. “There’s nothing to talk about Sam. You were right, I’ve been a pretty piss poor sister. I’m not perfect… I get that, but I do care about Mae, I’ll do better in the future.” She adds as she drops her eyes and starts prepping the ingredients.

“That, may have come out really harsh.” Sam runs a hand over his face. “I know you care about Mae and that you take care of her and all that. I’m just saying you can be reckless sometimes. And Mae thinks it’s her job to make sure you’re happy. And yeah, sure she like to do things that make you happy, but she shouldn’t agree to do dangerous shit because she’s worried about you going alone or not getting to do something you want to do.”

Lilly quickly skins the garlic before she begins dicing it. “Heard. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again...” She admits with a sigh before she looks up at him. “And I would appreciate the second chance to do so… I know you’re not my biggest fan Sam, and that’s okay. But Mae is my sister and we’re going to have to figure something out. I’m not trying to take her from you, and I would appreciate knowing you’re not trying to take her away from me. If that means some changes, I’ll make them.” She shrugs as she moves onto the onion. “You’re not on demon blood anymore. I really don’t have the right to be stepping in. I just want it known it goes both ways, and I think that’s fair. I hope it goes without saying that I mean the same for Dean. I respect the fact the two are you brothers, and I’ve no interest in coming between that, but I’m his partner and expect similar parameters when it comes to him. It’ll just make our lives easier in the future; we really can’t afford in fighting at the moment. Heaven and Hell both want a piece of us; I’d rather we didn’t tear each other apart before they even get the opportunity.” She jokes darkly.

Sam blinks a few times. This really wasn’t going the way he thought it was going to go. “Oh.” Was that really so much for her to ask? She was being unusually reasonable right now; and it wasn’t like she was asking for something she hadn’t already given him. He was on his second chance with Mae. He let’s out a sigh. “Yeah, it goes both ways. I understand. You and I need boundaries that we can both live with. That seems fair.” He nods. “Yeah, I can live with that. We really do need to put the differences aside.” 

Lilly nods her head. “We should line them out, later.”

Sam nods. “Yeah. I should get this to Mae, I left her soaking in the bathtub.” He could actually respect this side of Lilly, if she actually meant what she was saying.

Lilly winces at his words, and before she can help herself asks. “And she was okay with it?” She could distinctly remember Mae’s noises of distress as Lilith had held her underwater. Her eyes sweep over Sam in surprise.

Sam tilts his head to the side “Yeah, I helped her in and everyth-” His eyes widen in surprise. “Shit.” Sam rushes for the stairs.

“Wait!” Lilly spits out quickly as she races to him. Her hand coming up to twist in the material of flannel shirt as she plants her feet against the tile. “Just, please, wait!”

Sam turns back to look at her. “I feel like an idiot. She told me about what that… fuck, I didn’t even think about it.”

Lilly releases his shirt. “Yeah, but- If she didn’t you know- Freak out, then you shouldn’t freak out. You’ll just freak her out, ya know?” She explains as she takes a step back, absently chewing on her knuckle.

Sam takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. Lilly had a good point. “She wasn’t freaking out. She’s just, achy as she put it. I thought soaking would help and I helped her in and she didn’t freak out or even tense up.”

Lilly nods. “Right, well. Don’t forget the tea.” She breathes out as she walks back to her prep. Well there went not just jumping in, she’d been doing so well too.

“Right.” Sam walks back over and grabs the tray. He pauses before walking up the stairs and looks back over to Lilly. “Thanks.”

“Wait, sorry what was that?” Lilly asks as she looks back up at Sam with an innocent blink.

Sam smiles as he shakes his head. He deserved that. “Thank you Lilly, for the help. I really do appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.” Lilly beams happily, glad her patience this morning had payed off.

“I’ll uh, I’ll come back down after I get her out of the tub and grab some oatmeal for us.” Sam nods before he turns and heads back up the stairs.

“Heard.” Lilly nods. She was making a contract with Sam for domestic rights over her consort and sister. She grimaced and hoped Mae and Dean never found out. She couldn’t imagine either of them being happy about it, however if this worked out it wouldn’t matter. In her opinion it had been a long time coming. Maybe it would help them smooth over some of the tension and at least give her clearer guidelines of what Sam was expecting.


	18. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Reader! Welcome to another chapter of Bakers, Hunters and Pie! As we all know, time doesn't really stop when you're facing a personal crisis. The world keeps turning, and problems persist despite the fact that you're falling apart inside. This is something that Mae is beginning to understand all to well as she deals with her memories of time spent with Lilith while also facing the fact that Lucifer wants her and Sam. Lilly is dealing with the stress in her own way, but feels marginally better now that her and Sam have come to terms with their ever shifting place in the hierarchy of their wayward family, or have at least pinned down what they each expect of the other. But what can they do to stave off the hopelessness that comes with knowing that the world ending rests squarely on your shoulders, and that your options are, at best, limited?
> 
> :) Enjoy.

42.

“I haven’t dreamed for several days now, I don’t think I like this.” Mae comments off handedly as she continues to sketch in her book. The guys were still making plans about how to proceed now that they were aware of how the archangels were communicating. Sam and Lilly had grown surprisingly more at ease with one another and she noticed Dean was feeling more at ease as well.

“It’s better than having an angel in your head.” Sam points out with a small smile as he cleans his pistols.

“Nah, I’m with Mae. It’s disconcerting as hell.” Lilly comments from the stove as she continues cooking lunch. Her thoughts were drifting to multiple things. She was keeping her personal research to herself for the moment though, unsure how the others would feel about it. Thoth had loaned her several books on ritualistic defense and spells. She didn’t have any practical training yet, but there were several she’d recorded and planned to try if she found herself in a pinch. He’d added a book about a ritual that would help her with traveling. She’d even begun researching spells that would prevent any possibility of gestation. If the archangel’s wanted breeders, they could find some new fucking wombs. She wasn’t mother material anyways, not that she’d ever even considered children to be a possibility. She looks towards Mae and Sam. As for her sister, that was going to have to be a much later discussion, if she found something that wasn’t so cursey. So far a lot of them also involved some really nasty magical STDs. She shudders at the thought, before she turns back to the food. There had to be something simpler, she just had to dig through some salty ass shit first.

“I haven’t noticed a difference. I don’t think I ever dream.” Dean shrugs as he leans over to watch Mae work, fascinated by her method of keeping the pencils she was using in her hair and switching them out with a practiced ease as she focused on what she was sketching. 

“Did I fuck up your pillow?” Lilly asks concerned as she looks to Dean. Her eyes scan his face for a moment as she thinks about his words. “Wait, what do you mean you don’t dream? We’ve all been in your dreams Dean…” She pulls the food off the stove with a frown. 

“I was kidding. I just don’t ever remember my dreams Lilly.” Dean chuckles, shaking his head at her rapid fire questions.

“Oh… “ Lilly sighs in embarrassment before turning back around to sort the stir fry into their bowls. She brings the men's bowls to the table, before going back and sorting through the rest of it to get Mae and her bowl’s with no meat. She hesitates before pulling down a fifth bowl as well and fills that before she walks back to the table and joins the others. She gives Mae her bowl, and places the other where Castiel typically sits. “Cass is coming.” She adds as she takes a bite of the stir fry.

“Sam, Dean.” Castiel calls out as he flaps into the kitchen. “Oh, you are all here. I need your help.”

“What’s up Cass?” Dean asks as he stands from the table, his eyes taking in Castiel’s somber expression.

“I have had news of Raphael coming to earth and taking a vessel. This is an opportunity to capture him and get information from him.” Castiel states as he looks at the brothers.

“Of course.” Dean quickly bends to kiss Lilly’s head.

“Sounds like a plan in the making.” Sam agrees as he hugs Mae and kisses her forehead before standing. 

“Wait, what?” Mae asks fearfully, looking around at the men with eyes full of disbelief. They had just fought about this... And now they were just going to leave them behind again? She understood that Castiel needed help, but shouldn’t they all go? 

“Is there like an Angel net? What do you mean capture? Whattaya gonna do? Throw a pokeball at him and hope for the best?” Lilly asks as she looks the three men over. Oh, we have to be ready to go Lilly. I don’t trust you with Mae, Lilly. An angel pops up and baits them with an archangel, and then suddenly it’s back to I guess you’re good enough Lilly. Do you remember the boundaries-not-contract.

“I don’t understand that reference.” Castiel tilts his head to the side. “Why would a poking ball capture an archangel?”

“It’s a reference to Pokemon Cass, it’s a japanese cartoon about monsters that are held in balls that you can fit in your pocket. So, it’s actually poke- for pocket and mon for monster and-” Lilly stops mid sentence as Dean and Sam glare at her. “And uh, I’ll explain the rest later.”

“I am sorry Eliza-Mae and Lilly.” Castiel nods to both of them. “I wouldn’t ask unless this was important.”

“No it’s their job, by all means, take em away. I wish the three of you the best of luck on bagging and tagging an archangel.” Lilly shrugs as pops some of the stir-fry in her mouth.

“Yes, that is one of the methods I was going to suggest we use.”

“Can we help?” Mae asks.

“I’ll call you if we run into anything baby, but you and Lilly really need to stay here, where it’s safer.” Sam eyes her sternly. When she looks down and nods he leans in and claims her lips. “Besides, you are still getting over the flu. Just rest baby.” 

Mae smiles and wraps her arms around his neck. “I Love you.” She whispers into his ear before she turns to Dean and Castiel. “Love you guys, please be careful.”

“Right, you three enjoy hunting down an archangel.” Lilly adds as she pushes off the table and stands and walks over to Dean. She nuzzles into him before meeting him in a short, but passionate kiss. When she breaks it off she whispers exactly what she planned to do with her lips under the condition of him coming back to her with limited injuries; a wicked smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

Dean nips her ear and hugs her close before stepping away.

“You two, stay out of trouble, and stay in the house.” Dean warns the both of them as he stands next to Castiel. “Looking at you Lilly. Mae, keep her in line.”

“Heard.” Lilly sighs blowing out her bangs, as she crossed her arms. “Good luck.Tex, Cass, Sam.”

“We will.” Mae nods somberly before she gives Sam one more kiss.

“Stay home.” Sam reiterates one last time, they head out to the garage with Castiel, who waits for them to grab their weapons and duffles before he wings them out of the house.

“Well that was new.” Lilly sighs as she runs her hands through her hair.

“Seriously, that’s… I mean if anyone could…” Mae tries her best to sound confident. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in them. She did, but it was an archangel; the archangel that had killed Castiel.

“It’s Dean, Sam, and Castiel. What’s there to be worried about. They can handle it.” Lilly assures Mae with a lot more confidence than she was feeling. They both didn’t need to be realistic about this. She picks up her bowl and starts eating again after a dismissive shrug. When she hears her phone blaring ‘Because I got high’ from the charger she narrows her eyes at it and grumbles “Bite me.” before she sits back down.

“Lilly you should probably answer that.” Mae responds after the fourth round of calls, pushing away from the table in frustration.

“Or I could not. The last phone call got us in a ton of shit. No thanks.” Lilly remarks with a shrug as she began picking at her bowl absently making cooked veggies dance with her chopsticks..

“But it’s Devon.” Mae points out as she takes her bowl to the stove to dump the leftovers back into the pot.

“I know.” Lilly shrugs. “That’s why we’re not answering it.”

“Okay… Are you afraid he’s gonna ask for more cupcakes?” Mae shrugs.

“No. I know he’s going to ask for more cupcakes.” Lilly responds as she pops another pepper in her mouth.

“Oh… Well I’ll just let him know we’re not doing that anymore.” Mae responds, sick of the ringing.

“Wait no, don’t.” Lilly responds as she drops her bowl down on the table, and scrambles to reach the phone before Mae could.

43.

Mae looks up from her book and over to Lilly. “See. We’re having a nice, peaceful evening in the house, just reading. It’s almost normal.”

Lilly lifts her head from the passage she was in the middle of and looks over at Mae with a quirked eyebrow. “What are you researching, that this qualifies as normal?” She asks curiously. She had put away the ‘assigned reading’ about twenty minutes into the mess. Castiel’s forewarning of Mae and her being reduced to breeders was bothering her. It was two thousand eight; as much as she was a shitty feminist; there was no way she was going to be reduced to a simple broodmare. She was going to find a solution to that problem first. Then she’d worry about tearing through books that wouldn’t have much on the matter; they were more like flushed out bibles. She shakes her head, she loathed busy work. She knew they could help, and Thoth, albeit with much hesitance, had agreed. Now she and Thoth were working on a couple of defensive spells. He’d made it abundantly clear to her that the spells they were currently practising with would by no means kill an angel; however it might hurt if not stun one. It wasn’t going smoothly, but it was at least a step in the right direction, and gave the two something to do while Maat was in session with Mae.

“I said almost normal. It looks normal anyways.” Mae explains as she scrunches her face up and shrugs. “I’m looking through the books Bobby left us, but I’m not finding anything useful for fighting archangels or preordained end-of-the-world prophecies.”

Lilly blinks. Was Mae still shuffling her way through the bibles? She frowned, but just nods her head. “Fair...” Lilly sighs out as she turns back to her book, picking up where she left off. This particular spell seemed reasonable enough, at least so far but she was running into a problem. They all seemed like they could be easily reversed; by angels at least. It seemed most of what she was reading could be fixed with a snap of fingers. She needed something more complicated; that didn’t involve turning her vagina into a venus fly trap or her womb into Mordor. She couldn’t for the life of her do a ritual that would harm a fetus; she’d rather just strip herself of her fertility. She’d already accepted never having children when she was younger it just- Something in her ached as her eyes look over the stack of books. If she did this it had to be irrevocable. It had to be. She refused to be a part of this particular end times prophecy. They could go find another more willing participant, that was actually fucking christian for their bullshit. These bastards didn’t even know she had existed before last year. Castiel had made that much clear. In fact if it hadn’t been for the Winchester’s she would have taken Mae and disappeared until the new ‘sheaths’ were chosen. She just couldn’t leave Dean, Bobby, and Sam to deal with it on their own. It went against everyone of her instincts; they were her family. So if she couldn’t run, and she couldn’t fight- She’d just have to throw in some of her own wrenches. 

Mae frowns after Lilly goes silent for several moments. She shuts her book and swings her legs down to sit up straight on the couch. “What are you looking into?” She asks as she leans closer to Lilly.

“Oh, you know. A little of this, some of that.” Lilly shrugs as she turns several pages, blanching a little. If a ritual sounded too good to be true. It was. This one specifically had called for several pairs of intact male genitalia. She was really going to have to lower her standards, or accept she might have to do some fucked up shit. What the fuck Thoth? She sighs as she bookmarks the page, it still involved the least amount of ‘casualties’.

“Uh huh.” Mae tilts her head to the side and crosses her arms in front of her chest. “What are you up too?”

“Contingency plans.” Lilly shrugs. “You know, for when we don’t find anything useful.”

Mae nods and drops her arms to the side with a small frown. “Do you, do you think we can win this?” Her voice hitches. “Or do you think Michael and Lucifer are going to…” Her voice trails off. She didn’t even know how to ask the question. She believed Sam and Dean when they said they were going to find a way to stop it, she believed Castiel when he told her he would do everything in his power to keep her and Lilly safe; but she was afraid of the price. The whole world was at risk, but she was more worried about her family and the roles they found themselves in. The end of the world looked very different when you saw it coming and found yourself in the middle of it.

Lilly looks over at Mae and frowns. Did their family stand a chance against Michael and Lucifer? “Nothing’s impossible. Dean and Sam have done some fucking ridiculous shit Mae. I can’t think of anyone else who's come back from the dead. So, I mean sure there’s a chance.” She responds hesitantly. “But I’m not sure what the actual odds are… So I’m working from my own angle as well. It’s not fair to leave this strictly to them. So… Let’s have realistic expectations….” 

“That’s fair.” Mae slowly admits before she sighs. “I just wish there was something I could do. I don’t think reading these books will really be any help.” 

Lilly’s eyes sweep over Mae as she thinks about that. “I don’t think Sam really wants you being an active participant.”

“That’s not really an option anymore.” Mae shakes her head slowly. “We’re all in this whether we like it or not.”

“Well, any suggestions I’m going to have for you would involve you doing things that would disappoint Sam. Maybe even Bobby, and Dean and Castiel as well.” Lilly responds with a look of frustration, as she taps her nails on the table. This was stupid, and such an odd thread to be balancing on. On one hand she felt inclined to agree with Mae. By all means they should be thinking about the future, on the other it seemed that all their family seemed intent on keeping the two of them away from the shit they couldn’t ‘handle’. Whether or not it was just them being chauvinists or just completely viewing them as useless remained to be seen. She bites her thumb, she couldn’t deny the fact they didn’t have the experience the men did, however she knew that her and Mae could be useful if given the chance. She thought it was an unnecessary handicap. There was no way in fucking hell the two of them could avoid getting dragged into this mess, whether they hid or not. She blows her bangs out of her face. It just seemed unrealistic; chances were some of them were going to die. The thought made her queasy; but honestly they were going up against two powerful armies and had less people on their side than she had fingers. The best she could do was protect them with everything she had; even if it meant turning to rituals, spells, and as of two weeks ago, curses. The apocalypse wasn’t really the time to be squeamish. Their enemies certainly weren’t. 

“That bad huh?” Mae grimaces as she slumps back into the cushions. Lilly had gone quiet after her statement, she could read between the silent lines. 

“Oh yeah.” Lilly nods.

“And you’d rather I not try and help because reasons…” Mae pouts. Everyone wanted her to stay out of it for reasons. It made her feel weak and fragile and she knew she wasn’t either of those things.

“That’s not what I said at all.” Lilly scoffs with a roll of her eyes before she looked back at Mae. “I said any suggestions I have to offer are going to end up with the men of our lives being disappointed with you and pissed with me.”

“Yeah. But I’d rather not add fuel to that particular fire. No one listens to me when I try to take responsibility for my actions.” Mae picks up one of the pillows next to her and hugs it to her chest tightly.

“Then do something about it.” Lilly shrugs. “Make em listen.”

“How?” Mae hits her knees with the pillow a couple of times before she hugs it to her again. “I can’t even get you to listen to me half the time.” 

“Incorrect. I listen when it matters.” Lilly counters with a frown. “No one is just going to accept what you say, just because you say it. There are tones, and body language that goes with it, you know that. You can’t expect everyone to just accept what you say Mae, sometimes you have to argue and make a stand to be heard. I do feel like I must point out though, you need to find a balance, or you’ll end up exactly where I’m sitting. Where I make points that are often discarded just on the sole fact that I argue everything.”

Mae sighs. “I feel like you just told me to chose my battles carefully and learn from your mistakes.”

“Well yeah.” Lilly nods with a wide grin. “It’s the best advice I have. So, is this a fight with Sam worth having?”

Mae tilts her head to the side in thought. “I think it could be… I mean, something happened between you two while I was sick. I feel like that might have happened because of our fight. So yeah.” 

Lilly thinks about it. “I don’t feel like one has to do with the other Mae. If you want to be more active, it needs to be separate from what everyone else is going to think. The world might be ending here. Now’s not the time for seeking approval, you’re going to have to choose the path you can live with, because if we’re being honest… The odds are not in our favor. If you choose the path based on what Sam, Bobby, Dean, hell even me, approves of and we end up dead… Well, what’s that going to be like for you? I mean, I’m not saying do shit just to spite us… “ She runs a hand through her hair. “But you’ve got a brain Mae, and as much free will as the rest of us, so use it. Make decisions you can live with, stay in your integrity, no one else is going to care about those things above your safety. That’s solely a you problem Mae. Don’t sacrifice what makes you you just to make the rest of us happy. It’s the arm-ma-fucking-gedon, none of us are going to be happy regardless of whether you listen like a good girl or actively participate.”

Mae can’t help the shiver. It was her biggest fear; losing her family all over again. She frowns as she grabs another book and slides back to lounge on the couch. “I guess that does make sense. And I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you or the rest of our family. So, yeah. Thanks Lilly.” Now she just had to figure out what she could do. She had plenty she could offer her family, she just had to figure out how to best use her abilities to help the situation. There just had to be something she could do.

“Hey, it’s what I’m here for.” Lilly shrugs as she picks up her cup of tea and takes a sip. She knew she was walking a thin line here. On one hand she wasn’t really positive where she stood with Mae anymore, she fell to the wayside with Sam. She had originally been hurt by it, however she’d adjusted over the last few years; aided of course by Dean’s presence. Their dynamics had shifted. She knew that. Knew that Sam would be quick to throw her out. She absently starts chewing on her thumb. It wasn’t as if she didn’t occasionally feel similar, however it was evident to her that Sam felt much more secure in his position than she did. She would never dare give Dean or Mae that ultimatum. Not only would it be cruel to make them choose; it would also mean forfeit. When they picked Sam, and they would, it would kill her. He just had more to offer, and she had come to accept it.

They sit in a comfortable silence broken only by the occasional clink of their mugs as they set them back on the coffee table between them. The soft rustling of pages filling the room as they both turn to their prior tasks, thinking about what they had discussed. 

“I see you both are researching. Good.” Thoth says, startling both the girls from their reading. “I’m glad you're utilizing your time wisely.”

“Thoth.” Lilly greets as she stands with one fist over her heart. She was looking forward to the night’s lesson, it would take her mind off the current train of thoughts anyways.

“Good evening Thoth.” Mae smiles up at the god in greeting. She puts her bookmark in her place and lays the book aside.

Thoth looks over the books spread across the two couches and the coffee table with an interested eye. “Though I personally hate to interrupt your quest for knowledge, Maat is waiting.”

Mae stands up with a nod. “Ready Lilly?” She smiles back at Lilly as she moves to stand with Thoth.

Lilly nods as she picks up several of the books she’d already gone through. “Yep.” She chirps as she walks over to Thoth, books pressed firmly at her side.

Thoth shakes his head as the three of them disappear from the room, only to stand in the middle of his and Maat’s home. He watches Mae carefully, as he keeps a firm hand on her shoulder waiting til she regained her balance. “Maat’s in the garden Mae.” He tells her once he’s satisfied she wasn’t going to fall, his hand dropping to his side. 

“Thanks Thoth. See you two later.” Mae smiles and waves before she heads for the garden.

“Later.” Lilly smiles before she turns to look up at Thoth.

“I see you brought a few books again. Tell me how your research is going.” Thoth extends an arm out to lead her to his study.

“Oh, I wanted to return a few, and had a couple of questions about a couple of spells… So a direction? I haven’t been able to find anything worth note… So far they're all reversible… I’m thinking this might take some tinkering, but wanted your thoughts on the subject before I tried anything… And there still might be something I haven’t found yet, but just in case I’d rather start coming up with solutions now.” Lilly explains as she takes his arm and walks with him to the study.

“We could always keep it in a canopic jar for you.” Thoth offers with a frown, not fond of the idea.

“Yeah, but then they’d likely shove some one else’s in me to save face...” Lilly sighs, as she drags her hands through her hair, in frustration. Still not looking up from the old book.

“Valid fear.” Thoth admits quietly. “Perhaps we should look for something a bit more subtle. The goal seems to be more one of preventing pregnancy, not the act that would enable you to become pregnant.” 

“Right.” Lilly nods. “Worse case scenario, and something happens I want to be completely and utterly incapable of being used as a broodmare in some fucking prophecy that I literally should not even be apart of...It’s disgusting and degrading and just so ridiculously fucking stupid.”

Thoth rolls his eyes. “I couldn’t agree more. It’s barbaric.” He sighs as he elegantly drops into a chair. He holds one hand out to the chair across from him as he pinches the bridge of his nose with the other. “I’m still trying to get my hands on any angelic or prophetic material I can find from on the origin of this… Mess.”

Lilly quickly joins him, laying the pile of the books on the table. “I really do appreciate the help Thoth, I know it’s a pain.” She admits as she looks him over. “Bet you never thought you’d be having to deal with shit like this again.”

Thoth rolls his head to look up at her, his snow white braid falling across his face. “Oh Lilly, you have no idea. I haven’t dealt with angels since the plagues that swept through Egypt. They are not an amicable bunch.” He suddenly tilts his head to the side and looks down at the ring hanging in front of his robes. He glares at it suspiciously and grabs it. “Odd. Lilly, will you excuse me for a moment? I have a pile of books that might interest you.” He summons a stack of books that fall on the table beside Lilly.

“Sure. Okay.” Lilly nods as she looks to books with interest.

Thoth stands. “I just need to look into a strange matter.” With no other explanation he vanishes.

44.

Lilly smiles as she makes a late dinner, it seemed Mae’s sessions with Maat were really beginning to show. For the last twenty minutes Mae had happily hopped from one subject to another. She wasn’t even sure she was following Mae’s original tangent anymore; she was just happy to see her sister acting more like herself.

“OH! We should do that for Halloween this year! You could wear bandages and a cleopatra outfit and I can make fairy wings and be all glittery.” Mae claps, doing a short dance in place.

“As long as it’s real linen, sure.” Lilly shrugs as she adds several more herbs to the soup.”So, we’re doing the Fall Festival this year?” She asks with a skeptical brow raise as she looks to her sister. She supposed it wouldn’t be impossible to organize from home or even on the road. She hadn’t even thought about the damn thing, but for all they knew everyone would be dead or enslaved by that time next year...

“Even if we can’t go, I think it would still be good for the town.” Mae comments sadly. “It’s not like everyone else knows the world is ending.”

“Heard. Up the budget. I got you harps.” Lilly smiles at her, even as her eyes dim. “It’s like some important number this year anyways right?”

“I think it’s the thirty-seventh year.” Mae shakes her head. Even if it wasn’t some big milestone, it could end up being the last one.

“Well it was like the number of plays Shakespeare wrote or something, that’s a thing.” Lilly shrugs as she stirs the pot. “I’ll make sure it get’s done Mae. No big.” She adds as she smiles at Mae.

Mae can’t help the smile. “I love you!” She exclaims as she dances around the kitchen towards Lilly to kiss her cheek. “Thank you.”

“Hey, s’no problem. It’s what I’m here for...” Lilly smiles. That’s what delegating was for, she’d just need to hit up a couple of people. Her nose scrunches a bit; including her mother… It sucked but it was totally worth it to see the smile on Mae’s face, and made a mental note to add it to her priorities list. It was June, so she still had about four months. She’d definitely whipped it up with less notice.

They both startle when the doorbell rings loudly. 

Mae tilts her head to the side. It was nearly ten, who would be visiting them this late at night? “Bobby or Ellen?” 

“Nah, the ol’ man don’t use the bell… What the fuck?” Lilly says as she cautiously clicks off the stove before she turns and heads to the front door. She picks up one of their holy super soaker and primes it, just in case.

“He rings the bell sometimes.” Mae points out as she grabs a silver knife and catches up. 

The doorbell rings again and loud knocks echo around the front room.

“Mae, stay back okay.” Lilly tells Mae, in respect of Sam. She stares at Mae until Mae just lets out a sigh and steps back, knife at the ready before she ducks out of sight behind an old book shelf. Lilly nods before she continues to the door and hesitantly opens it a crack. She blinks when she finds the fur lined eccentric DJ on their door stop. Without a thought to the consequences she shoots him in the face with the holy water. “What the fuck? Go away Killian!” She hisses, out angrily. The audacity on this prick; just showing up uninvited. 

“Why is Killian here?” Mae asks, looking around the door, nearly laughing at the expression on the man’s face.

“What the fuck Cupcake?” Killian shouts, wiping the tepid water from his face as he pushes his way into the house. His eyes sweep the scene, bouncing between the super soaker rocking Lilly and the knife toting Mae. He lifts his brow as he looks around the rest of the foyer. “Fuck! You two are loaded! Christ! What the fuck is this?” He asks no one as he steps further into the house. He shakes his head before he turns to Mae. “But that’s not the point. Chem, should be at the party tonight, your fans were looking forward to it.” He tells her before tilting his head down, eyes narrowing at Lilly, ”And you! No one wants the shitty cupcakes I had to get last minute because of you, Cupcake. They’re disgusting and it’s costing me money.”

“Rude! Rude! Rude all over the place.” Lilly snaps, slamming the door shut behind Killian. “What is this? Shouldn’t you be playing the shitastic noise you call music or something? Why the fuck are you here?! I told Devon we were out.”

Mae looks down, remembering the knife in her hand. She quickly drops the it into a nearby potted plant. “You really should leave Killian.”

Killian looks between the two girls with a raised eyebrow. “Look, I don’t know what weird, kinky, fetish thing I was interrupting but you two can tickle each other with peacock feathers later.” He states with a dismissive wave of his hand. “You two are coming to the club with me.” He says, ignoring them as he walks around the house like he owned it, even going as far as touching all the girl’s home made weapons while investigating the symbols marking the walls. 

“No.” Lilly says shaking her head as she storms over to him. “Are you fucking as stupid as you are colorblind? Put that down Jackass.” She snaps at him as she snatches the box of salt rounds out of his hands.

“We aren’t going anywhere. Please just leave.” Mae shakes her head as she rushes to help Lilly gather up their hunter weapons. Why was this happening right now? They’d made it clear to Devon that they weren’t interested anymore. How in the world did Killian even know where they lived?

“That a fact huh?” Killian snorts as he turns to admire the assortment of hula hoops that were laying around partially disassembled. “You’re sure ya don’t want to be hanging out?”

“S’not happenin’ fuck boy. We’re tapping out. Fuck you and your drug infested candyland wannabe rave.” Lilly growls as she opens a drawer and swipes the homemade weapons into the it. “We don’t have time for this shit.” 

“Did… did you leave your club during operating hours?” Mae asks suddenly, desperately trying to distract him.

“Eh, I have several people on stand by.” Killian shrugs. “I may have promised another performance with you. I charged extra tonight. I didn’t think you two would actually bail like little bitches.”

“We’re grounded. So again, I really think you should leave.” Mae rolls her eyes as she pulls a clear jug of water with a rosary in it out of Killian’s hand 

“We are not grounded.” Lilly growls shooting a dark look to her sister. “We just- This isn’t even- No. We’re not going Killian.”

“Uh… Are you two like… Crazy or something? Grounded? What the hell? Are you guys underage? I need to know right now…” Killian demands as he looks the two girls over speculatively, struggling to hide his laughter over Lilly’s glare and Mae’s pout. “What the fuck is going on in this house?” He asks moving into the dining room, taking in the piles and piles of leather bound books on the table.

“I am twenty six, you arragant mother fucker.” Lilly grounds between her teeth as she quickly pulls the old book from his hand. “And get out of Mae’s house! GET OUT!” Lilly growls at him, growing concerned as she races in front of him and starts pushing at his chest, which in true Killian fashion, was barely covered by his open fur lined vest. She lets out a noise of outrage as she finds herself picked up like a football; she kicks and curses as he continues to walk around their dining room.

“Killian, put her down. Stop. Please stop.” Mae says in an attempt to regain control of the situation. Though she did like the eccentric man, she could see this was turning into a mess. “You need to leave Killian. Right now.” She demands.

“God, she has a set of pipes. How do you shut her up.” Killian comments with a grin as he picks up one of the books and stares at it. “Sumerian?” He scoffs as he turns back to Mae, “What the fuck? I thought you two were bakers?” 

“Mother fucker, put me down right fucking now. Mae, do something. Shoot him if you have too, I don’t care, this is dumb. Put me down.”

Mae plucks the book from his hand, giving him a stern look. “Stop it. I told you to leave. Put my sister down and get out.”

“Alright, how about this, I’ll put Cupcake down and stop looking into your very seriously dysfunctional personal lives, if you two come with me to the club.” Killian offers with a shrug that jostles Lilly. “The sooner you agree the better.”

“Mae. Shoot him.” Lilly snaps as she attempts to free herself from Killian’s grip. “FUCKING PUT ME DOWN! YOU JACKASS!” She demands as she digs her nails into his arm.

“I’m not shooting him Lilly, he’s holding you.” Mae says, rolling her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her. She didn’t feel like it was a good time to point out that she didn’t have a gun on her, they were back in the front room.

“Come on, I won’t tell if your rents if you won’t. Just for a couple hours then I’ll get you both home.” Killian tells Mae, even as he starts walking to the door with Lilly.

“Stop, what are you doing? I might shoot you if you don’t put her down.” Mae shouts as she follows after them.

“You won’t shoot me, come on, let’s go. You're costing me money.” Killian continues not even pausing his steps. “You’ll be safe at the club, let’s go.”

“Am I invisible and muted! Put me the fuck down, right now Killian! This isn’t funny.” Lilly growls out in frustration as she kicks and squirms furiously..

“You’re easier to drag around. Such a tiny cute little Cupcake, like bite-size. I owe you one anyways.” Killian chuckles opening the door, revealing a bright-ass orange mustang convertible with neon underlights. 

“Stop! We can’t.” Mae shakes her head as she desperately grabs Lilly; trying unsuccessfully to pull her back into the house.

“You sure? Cause you seemed to really enjoy it last time, I know you did. This one,” Killian points out, purposefully jostling Lilly. “Bit of a stick in the mud, but I figured you wouldn’t come without her, so come on, you know you want too.” He says in sing song voice before he starts humming in spite of Lilly’s struggling.

Mae doesn’t loosen her grip on Lilly, but she stops tugging on her. “I mean, yeah, I did enjoy it, but, reasons. There are… Reasons… Important...” Mae trails off, knowing she had good, strong reasons they couldn’t leave, but she found herself unable to recall them at the moment while distracted by Killian’s hypnotic humming.

Lilly looks up at Mae in concern. “Mae! Don’t you fucking dare- Killian what the fuck? No, we can’t. This isn’t funny!” She growls as she scrambles to kick him but is easily pulled away.

Killian just continues to hum, happily ignoring their concerns grabbing a set of keys by the door assuming they had the house key on them. “Which one of these locks the door?”

Mae looks between Killian and Lilly. “It’s just one night Lilly, we’ll be fine. I just, dancing is so much fun, and we’ll back before anyone notices.”

Lilly stops struggling as she stares at her sister. “Mae! Are you serious? Dean’s going to kill me, or worse leave me! And Sam... No! I don’t wanna leave the house, and neither should you.” She pleads with her sister. What the hell had Killian done to her? What the fuck was going on? 

Mae looks between Lilly and Killian, feeling torn. “You’re right,” She frowns. She knew Lilly was right. But dancing with Killian was so appealing. 

“Thank you.” Lilly nods as she starts kicking again while Mae begins tugging against Killian’s hold on her.

“Oh come on, I just had you convinced.” Killian rolls his eyes before he starts humming again while continuing to try each key.

Lilly glares as she feels Mae’s arms go slack again, “No Mae!”

“Alright, let’s go ladies. I think I can already hear all your fans calling your name, Chem.” Killian comments happily, finally finding the right key.

“If Dean finds out, I’ll tell him it was my fault. I forced you. Sam doesn’t get mad at me the way Dean does with you.” Mae comments.

“Seriously Mae! Shut up! And no, nonono, come on no, you’re not serious. Killian, down boy. I. Want. Down. And. Back. In. The. House.” Lilly barks at the eccentric-sunglasses-at-night douche.

“Okay Lilly you stay, and I’ll just go dancing, that way it really wasn’t your fault.” Mae offers as she follows Killian down the steps, letting the arrogant DJ lead the way to his convertible as his humming switches to whistling.

Lilly glares at Killian as her eyes become heavy, “Mae, we can’t-” Castiel… She needed to call Castiel. Something was wrong. Mae would never act like this, and why the fuck was she so-

Killian smiles as he dumps Lilly into the back seat and buckles her in. He quickly turns her to the side, hiding her face from Mae before he turns back to face her. “She’s so pouty when she doesn’t get her way.” He chuckles as he helps Mae into the front seat.

Mae frowns as she looks back at Lilly, “It’s going to be okay. We’ll be back before anyone-”

Killian laughs as he jumps into the driver’s seat and starts the car, revving the engine loudly before he swerves out of the driveway.

When they pull up to the warehouse, Killian shoos Mae into the building “I’ll get her, you go warm up Chem.”

“I promise Lilly, I’ll take the heat for this one.” Mae says after getting out of the car, leaning over the back door to kiss Lilly’s temple, shifting in discomfort at her dark look, before racing towards the warehouse. 

“Alright Cupcake, you going to behave?” Killian asks as he fixes his hair in the rear view mirror, whistling another tune happily.

Lilly slowly blinks as she pulls herself out of the depths of grogginess. She sits up, looking around in confusion before she catches Killian’s smile in his rearview mirror.

“Mornin’ Cupcake.” Killian grins before he turns around to unbuckle her. “Looks like we’re here.”

Lilly growls at his audacity as she contemplates praying for her gods or Castiel, but suddenly a familiar, balding angel appears next to her. 

Zachariah reaches out to grab her by her neck, squeezing roughly as he grins down at her triumphantly. “Gotcha.” he spits as they both disappear from the backseat without another word.

Killian blinks “What the fuck is up with these two?” He turns away to walk back to the warehouse, wiping his hands of what he had just felt. “I’ll tell Chem, after a few sets.” He shrugs. No need to upset his plans because these two were idiots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We had a few messages about Killian, so we're curious, what do you think of him showing up now? And his reaction to not only seeing the stuff the girls were working on in their home, but also Zachariah showing up and taking Lilly? And what is Zachariah planning to do with Lilly now that he has her?
> 
> We'll see you next week wayward readers! Much love! :)


	19. Chapter 17

45.

Lilly blinks as she looks around in confusion. What the fuck was going on? Was Mae okay? She looks around slowly, noting the overgrown plants and urban decay with growing concern. She stops short, and can’t help the small sound of distress that escapes her lips when her eyes land on Baby. She looked like she’d been through hell. What the fuck happened? 

“You are one hard bitch to get ahold of.” She hears a surly voice say from behind her.

Lilly immediately schools her features before she turns. “Thank you.” She smirks as she takes a step away from Zachariah, “I do my best.” She continues smugly.

Zachariah shakes his head in disapproval. “Woah, the things you get tangled up in. You’re lucky I pulled you out of that car. That thing was danger-.”

“Oh, fuckin’ spare me.” Lilly growls despite herself. Who the fuck was this angelic prick to judge her life? 

Zachariah snorts and gives her a smug smile. “You think you’re so fucking smart. I was going to give you a little explanation of what you’re doing here. But hey, fine. Have it your way. Good luck with that attitude of yours.” He chuckles, giving her a small patronizing wave before he disappears.

“Shocking.” Lilly comments with a roll of her eyes as she turns from the spot where the angel had been standing. Her eyes sweep over the unfamiliar surroundings. “Sonovabitch. What the fuck is this?” She sighs as she walks towards baby. 

What was happening? Where was Dean? Mae? Fuck even Sam would be a welcome sight right now. What fucking mess were they in now? Was it they? Or was this the angel’s solution to their priestess problem? Lilly groans as she runs her hand over baby’s slowly corroding hood, eyes scanning her surroundings carefully. More importantly, what had happened to Dean for his most prized possession to be in this condition? She absently begins chewing on her thumb as the worry set in. How was she supposed to get back to Mae? Was she here too? Were they both in danger? 

Lilly jumps; accidently ripping through part of her thumb when an alarm suddenly blares; the sound reminding her of the old tornado drills in school. “What the fuck?” She mumbles as she looks around in concern, noting the mild weather. She frowned even as she pulled closer to the car; her back to the driver's side door as she looks around warily. She could hear a swarm of people, their steps loud in her ear as they hit the dirt path. Her mouth goes dry as she hears a man bark out “Shoot on sight.”. 

Lilly crouches, making herself as small as possible as she slowly makes her way to the back of baby, mentally preparing herself to slip into the brush. She wasn’t happy about it, but at the moment it appeared to be her best option; at least until she figured out what the fuck was happening. She watches with growing dread as two men run past baby with guns at the ready. She was going to be really pissed if she’d done all that research for nothing.

Were the angels trying to get her killed? Because honestly, she could think of a hundred ways to do it quicker. Her eyes continue scanning the grounds when she notices a glint of metal under wild vines and lets out a faint curse. “Wrong side of fence, wrong side of fence…” Lilly breathes under her breath as she finds herself in a worse predicament than she had originally thought. She was completely unarmed, unaware, seriously outnumbered, and most importantly, caged. There was no way in shit she was climbing that fence, in broad daylight, with that damn alarm blaring.

“Check the perimeter, we saw a man walking along the fence. Check for infiltrators.” She hears another order barked out in the distance.

“Okay… I don’t have a penis… But, fuck, I’m still an infiltrator... Shit!” Lilly curses as she turns low in the brush only to come face to face with a little blonde girl who looked so hauntingly like Amanda it caught her off guard. Her eyes run over the dirty clothes but they pause when they land on the pistol aimed at her head.

“Who are you?” The girl asks, her blue eyes wide as she backs away.

“Uh, I’m Lilly. Who are you?” Lilly responds lifting up her hands defensively, as she slowly lowered herself to her knees. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I’m Amanda. And I know you look like the cupcake lady, but you can’t be her.” Amanda shyly smiles as she walks forward.

“Wait, Amanda? Amanda Brown?” Lilly asks with shock as she looked at the girl in disbelief. “You’re like eight, and packing…What the fuck?” She frowns. 

“Yep.” Amanda says as she pulls her hand back before she pistol whips Lilly over the head. “HEY! I found a stranger!” She screams out.

“Fuck!” Lilly curses even as she grabbed her head, surprised with the force she’d been struck with. “Ya didn’t have to do that.” She winces as she takes a deep breath. “And I’m pretty sure kids who shoot guns don’t abide by stranger danger!” She accuses as she rubs the growing knot on her skull. “There are nicer ways to greet people.” She scolds.

“Over here, next to the cars!” Amanda continues screaming, still aiming her pistol at Lilly. “Stomach on the ground lady, don’t make me shoot you.”

“Seriously…?” Lilly questions when Amanda raises the gun again in warning. “Okay, fair, I’m a stranger… Okay… I get that, but will you stop screaming…” She continues trying to placate the child even as she looks at the ground. “Isn’t it bad enough I’m kneeling on it?” She frowns. “Can’t you just shoot me and get it over with?” She adds under her breath.

Amanda tilts her head to the side, her eyes wide as she continues to stand guard. “Are you really arguing? I said on the ground!”

“I’m as on the ground as I’m willing to get.” Lilly bites back as she crosses her arms over her chest. “It just ain’t happenin’ kiddo. We’re both just going to have to accept that!” She glares. “Your move.”

“What the fuck!” Lilly hears from somewhere on the other side of the Impala.

“Oh seriously?” Lilly whines as she hangs her head in defeat. So much for being good with kids. She glances back at Amanda. What the hell had even happened to her? Where was Jake, her parents. Her stomach twists as she looks at the frayed clothes that were covered in smudges of dirt. 

It wasn’t long before a small group gathers around her. “What should we do with her, she’s not fighting, and she’s not a croat.”

“Okay… Hi! Fellow adults.” Lilly chirps awkwardly as she scans the growing crowd. “Um… Croat?” She clears her throat. “Okay… Um… Wow it’s been a moment since I’ve had to deal with mobs. Um, hi?” She greets awkwardly, feeling horribly rusty at mob speak. Seriously, where the fuck was Mae? This wasn’t her shtick at all. “So, I think there’s been a misunderstanding…”

“Maybe we should knock her out, let Dean deal with her, he’s probably going to want to talk to her. Ya know, see who she is, find out if she’s a spy.”

“Dean’s gonna wanna see her.” Amanda speaks up, glaring at all the taller adults around her. “Do you know who she looks like?” She asks as she looks at Lilly appraisingly.

“Wait? Dean, like owner of this car Dean?” Lilly asks hopefully as she jerks her thumb at baby. “Yes. I wanna talk to him…” She adds with a forced smile on her lips. 

“How does she know that?” A skeptical female glares at her.

“Knock her out! Stop listening to her.” Someone else commands; leading several men press in closer to her.

“Wait, nononono. Stop, let’s talk about this.” Lilly responds vehemently, throwing her hands up defensively as she scrambles to her feet. “This is just a huge misunderstanding! I can leave. No big. I don’t even know where the fuck I am, so yeah, but I’d rather take my chances out there, ya know away from the gun toting children- Unless that’s everywhere? Is it everywhere-Wait no! I just wanna go, don’t answer that. I’ll figure it out on my own! Can I just go, leave your property and shit? I don’t wanna add a Texas Chainsaw Massacre thing to my growin’ list of-” She rambles as her back hits baby’s trunk. She looks around the encroaching mob with growing concern. There were so many guns being pointed at her right now.

Several of the adults surrounding her tilt their heads in confusion, but none of them back down.

“Strange! Whoa, Weird! Everyone clear a path, let us talk to the girl.” Lilly hears someone call out before the mob slowly parts, like the red sea. “Thank you, thank you. You were all awesome, this was super. Back to your posts. Go on now. Your leader thanks you for your vigilance.”

Lilly’s eyes widen in shock when she see’s a rough looking Castiel leisurely stroll past the overly vigilant neighborhood watch. But she stares when she catches sight of a haggard looking Bobby, frozen as he stares at her like she was a ghost. “Cass? Bobby?” She asks in surprise, her eyes sweeping over both of them in disbelief.

Someone rips her from her thoughts as he picks her up roughly and shakes her. “We ain’t got a clue how she got in. She’s one of his damned spies!”

“Hey, hey, down.” Lilly snaps as she struggles against the much taller man shaking her, resisting the urge to kick him. “Down, lurch!” She growls out as her head flopped back and forth.

Lilly’s voice breaks the spell Bobby was under and she sees him shake his head before he advances, yelling. “Get your damned hands off my daughter!” 

“Ol’ man!” Lilly chirps happily as she drops to the ground, scrambling to stand up straight as she looks to Bobby with appreciation, and can’t stop from sticking her tongue out at the asshole who’d manhandled her. 

“I’m right here Gidjit. Everyone get back where you fucking belong. NOW!” Bobby barks as he glared at the people who had gathered, his tone brooking no room for arguments as they all turned and exited with mumbled concerns and apologies. Amanda straggles behind giving Lilly one last confused look as the area quickly clears, before he rushes up and pulls Lilly into a tight hug. 

“Bobby!?” Lilly hugs him back automatically.

“Fucking shit, we thought you were dead.” Bobby tells her, his voice somewhere between unshed tears and anger.

“Uh…” Lilly blinks at him with concern; the knot in her stomach becoming tighter. “Okay.... Look, I’m fine. What happened to Baby? Are you okay? What's-” Lilly suddenly struggles out of his arms and looks down her shirt, sighing in relief when she see’s her amulet. “With the mob? What’s going on?”

“What do you mean what’s going on?” Bobby asks, shaking his head in confusion as he looked down at her with confusion.

“This isn’t our Lilly.” Castiel tilts his head to the side in contemplation; a five o’clock shadow prominent and very out of place on his chin and cheeks. He circles her, his eyes sweeping over her in lazy appraisal. “Trippy.” 

“Your Lilly?” Lilly scoffs. “Why aren’t you… You. I think you’ve changed more than me, Angel boy.” She sniffs indignantly. “What happened to your wings? You feel…” She pauses for a moment. “Like everyone else.” She adds defensively, as she takes in the grungy looking man. “I mean you're obviously Cass, but less... Holy.” She adds lamely as she crosses her arms over her chest.

“You’re not from our timeline, what year are you from? And how did you get here?” Castiel asks, brushing her concerns to the side for the moment as he looks down at her in curiosity. His finger slowly poke her arm, as if to check to see if she were solid.

Lilly lifts her hand and grasps Castiel’s wrist, her eyes bouncing between him and Bobby. “Two thousand nine.” She states with a frown. “Gods… What the fuck happened here? Why is Amanda armed? Where’s Mae? And Dean? And Sam?” She releases Castiel's wrist and runs her hand through her hair as she takes in the two men, comparing them to the last time she had seen them. They looked older, more worn, dirty, and in need of a good meal; but it was their eyes that bothered her the most. They were haunted and so thoroughly different it made her shudder a little; some serious shit had gone down. She was sure of it, and the way they were looking at her… Made her uncomfortable. 

“How?” Bobby asks, his eyes bewildered even as his face falls slightly. 

“Yeah… Guessing this isn’t…” Lilly pauses her mind reeling as several more pieces fall together. “We didn’t stop the apocalypse did we?” She asks with a resigned sigh as her eyes dart between the two men.

Bobby and Castiel slowly shake their heads.

“Awesome. Okay, and I’m dead? Well dead here anyways….” Lilly mumbles as she begins pacing, pausing to stop in front of Castiel and Bobby again. “But you two made it, that’s good.” She comments absently as she continues to piece everything together as clinically as she could. She couldn’t start freaking out right now, couldn’t afford to. The fact they had ignored her questions was understandable. She didn’t need to jump to any conclusions.

“Lilly. How did you get here?” Bobby asks again.

Lilly blinks. “Oh. Sorry. That-” She viciously snarls out a multilingual litany of curses. “Zachariah.”

Castiel sighs and shakes his head. “Bobby, we should get her in a cabin. This could get messy fast.” He turns without waiting for an answer to walk towards a bank of cabins.

“Right.” Bobby grunts as he nods and follows after Castiel with Lilly hugged tightly to one side, his eyes scanning the area wearily.

“Wait…” Lilly frowns in confusion. Why did she have to hide? Didn’t they lose, or was she still under house arrest? What was going on? ”This like a butterfly effect thing or someshit? I thought that only worked going in reverse?” She asks as she quickly follows behind them. Did she really have any room to question them? This was their timeline? Dimension? Plane? Dominion? She narrows her eyes as she shakes her head. Fuck angels.

“Not exactly.” Bobby breathes out as he looks her over for a moment. He shakes his head before continuing. “Look Gidjit, I’ll try to answer your questions, but we need to get you out of sight.”

“Did I do something wrong before dying?” Lilly questions suspiciously as she walks with him, their pace making it difficult to assess any of the small community Bobby and Cass were still apart of. 

“No, you didn’t. I just don’t think it would be good for Dean to see you right now.” Castiel explains hesitantly, looking back at her from over his shoulder as he leads them up a set of steps to a small cabin.

“Okay…” Lilly breaths out with a frown. What the fuck had she screwed up in this timeline? “What about Mae, she’s alive right?” She asks hopefully, following the once upon a time angel up the stairs with Bobby by her side.

Bobby opens the door and quickly pulls her inside with him, shutting the door behind him. “She- Mae’s... Alive.” He tells her as he walks around shutting curtains.

“Could that have been phrased anymore forebodingly?” Lilly asks, looking at Bobby in concern. What the fuck had happened?

“There are several ways he could have sounded more foreboding.” Castiel points out with a shrug.

“Not helping there, Sassy Cass.” Lilly rolls her eyes, as she jutted her hip and crossed her arms. “Okay...What the fuck?” She sighs with a shake of her head. “Alright. So I’m dead, something horrible happened with Mae, Angel is no longer an Angel-” She turns her attention to Bobby. “And your emotional, but I’m guessing that’s cause I’m dead.” She breathes out as she looks the two of them over. “Dean and Sam?” She asks doing her best to keep up, and process everything.

“Sam is with Mae, Dean leads our merry little band of rebels.” Bobby replies. 

“Well… Okay. She can’t be that bad off if she’s with Sam.” Lilly shrugs, wiping her hand over her face and closing her eyes. “And Dean didn’t say yes…” She breathes out. She’s silent for several heartbeats before she opens her eyes, conclusion drawn. “This is actually better than what I expected.” She admits sheepishly as she rubs the back of her head.

“Seriously? Cass is all but human, you died about a year ago-” Bobby begins to shout before she interrupts him.

“Wow, that recently?” Lilly asks in disbelief. “That’s actually shocking. I seriously thought I would have died a lot sooner. Huh.” She adds absently as she begins pacing. So what was the point of Zachy’s latest endeavor?

Bobby’s eyes follow her, narrowed in anger and disbelief from where he stood in the center of the room, arms crossed and brimming with disapproval. Castiel on the other hand was languidly leaning against the wall with a lazy smile as he watched Lilly with amusement. 

“What?” Lilly asks defensively when she can no longer take Bobby’s glare burning into her. 

“Dammit Gidjit, I don’t understand why you’re here, but it’s damn good to see you. Even if yer being a pain in my ass...”

“But it’s what I do best ol’ man… S’why I thought I would have died sooner.” Lilly responds with a rueful smile. “However as for why I’m here…” She trails off and looks to the ground. Maybe, just maybe, she should have let the bald son of a bitch explain why she was here. “I’m as clueless as you two…So, best guess, I pissed him off by breathing and I’m here.”

“So, Zachariah didn’t say anything, just dropped you off?” Castiel asks with a raised eyebrow.

Lilly blinks a sheepish smile on her face. “Uh yeah... Pretty much. Please feel free to tell me he’s dead.” She responds with a dismissive wave of her hand. 

“In his case I wish.” Castiel shakes his head before continuing. “Most of my siblings took off, hence me losing my ‘angel mojo’ and joining club suck, where it takes three months to heal a bone and everyone of us has a ridiculous desire for paper products.”

Bobby snorts and rolls of his eyes. 

“Huh… You chose to stay?” Lilly asks with genuine surprise, had he really forsaken heaven? “Or did they leave you?” She asks curiously as she looks him over. 

“I chose to stay.” Castiel nods as he crosses his arms in front of his chest. “Really I chose my place when I tried to help stop the Apocalypse before it started.”

“Aw, big softy. I knew we were rubbing off on you.” Lilly can’t help but to smile, finding new appreciation for the has been angel. That could not have been an enjoyable transition. All the power to nothing. There were no words. 

Castiel smiles at her. “Maybe a bit. I always enjoyed hanging out with you and-” He looks down and runs his hands through his hair; in a ridiculously human fashion. He turns and moves the curtain just enough to look through it.

“Okay, well that’s disconcerting. Super. So she’s not a topic?” Lilly asks as he watches stare out the window for a moment. “But you two were always so close... Why is her name suddenly up there with Voldemort's?” She asks in disbelief. 

“I still do not understand that reference.” Castiel smiles over at her before he tilts his head to the side. “Something Harry Potter right?” 

“Of course.” Lilly nods. “He’s the big bad of the book, well him and Umbridge-” She shakes her head. “But that isn’t the point. What happened to my sister? How the fuck did she become an undesirable?” 

“Mae’s just, not the same anymore.” Castiel admits, leaning against the dresser in the room.

“Well the end of the world happened, what the hell, neither of you seem to be the same either.” Lilly spits out, immediately defending Mae. 

Bobby takes a deep breath. “She’s with Lucifer.”

“Luc-but you, shit.” Lilly looks down, trying to fight off her feelings of dread. “Sam said yes?”

“After she was taken, yes.”

“Gods, I don’t know which one of is worse with the kidnappings.” Lilly breathes out as she shakes her head. “Fuck. I really suck at watching her.” She curses as she runs her hand through her hair, before her head immediately pops up. “When?! When was she taken!” She demands her heart screeching to a halt in her chest.

“It happened in November.” Bobby sighs as he rubs the back of his neck.

“It wasn’t your fault, or her’s. Mystic was set on fire. You were both asleep.” Castiel informs her. “You both got out, but the demons were waiting for you both. They took you out and left you for dead, and disappeared with Mae.” 

“Okay. Alright....” Lilly comments with wide eyes. “Arson, just awesome. Well... Can’t blame Sam for that, I guess.” She shrugs as she looks to the ground.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Bobby snarls as he glares at Lilly, all traces of his internal struggles immediately dissipated at her words.

“Yeah, I mean It’s Mae…She never belonged with demons or angels or war. Of course Sam said yes.” Lilly sighs as she looks up at the ceiling, noting the stains with a frown. What the hell had they done in here? Were those blood stains? She looked back at Bobby curiously only to take a step back. That was anger. “What?” She asks in confusion.

Bobby growls and shakes his head. “You’re fine with Sam saying yes, but not Dean? What the hell Lilly? Neither of them shoulda said yes. We coulda gotten her back. If ya’ll…” He lets out a sigh and turns away from her.

Lilly blinks and turns to Castiel. “Sore spot?” She asks curiously as she shifts in discomfort.

Castiel shrugs and tilts his head to the side. “Only if you consider the fact that we’re pretty sure we lost the day Sam said yes. It was the same day you got taken.”

“Ah.” Lilly clicks her tongue. “Heard.” She nods. What the fuck was she supposed to do about that now? She hadn’t even lived it yet. 

“Yep.” Castiel nods. “Michael showed up right after Sam said yes and it wasn’t like Lucifer was going to interfere with that. Whatever plan you and Sam had, it never happened. It left Dean having to say no, or else the entire world was doomed. But now, it looks like the world was doomed anyways, even without my brothers fighting.”

Lilly scratches the back of her head nervously as she thought about that. That sounded like something she would do. Who the fuck would want Lucifer touching Mae, especially right after they’d just gotten her back from Lilith? She chewed her lip. Would she have lied to Dean about having a plan in last ditch attempt to rescue her sister from Satan? Her eyes narrowed at the thought. Well, she knew she how staunchly against Dean saying ‘yes’ she was. And it was June now, and she couldn’t even hurt a grunt angel; albeit she was working on it with Thoth. Thoth. Maat. Had they-Nope. She shook her head. She really didn’t want to go down that path right now. Had she and Sam doomed the world in an attempt to save Mae? She closed her eyes as she let out a deep breath. Yeah, she could see it, though from the sounds of it, their attempt had backfired. She frowned at that. Assuming we had a plan to begin with… 

“Lilly?” Bobby calls out after several minutes of her silence.

Had she and Sam really ended the world? She blinks. For Mae? She shifts in discomfort, it would be a lot more comforting if she knew how they both were now. Because humanity versus her sister? It was Mae all the way. She frowns. Was that healthy? She shook her head. Now didn’t seem like a good time to ask. 

“Lilly, don’t check out on us now.” Bobby claps her on the back.

Lilly startles as she looks around the room in confusion. “What?” She blinks as she looks up at Bobby. 

Bobby rolls his eyes before he moves over to sit at the table in the room. “Why did you ask when you two got taken?”

“Oh, we uh, we left the house, that’s how Zach got me.” Lilly admits as she shifted in discomfort. “I haven’t seen her since I got here though… I’m not sure if he took her or this was just an attempt to remove me from the picture, or what though…” She adds with a shrug. “It seems even though the angels left in- What year is it? Like twenty fourteen or something? Amanda looked about eight or so…What year am I in?”

Castiel tilts his head to the side. “August, twenty fifteen.”

“Ah. Well, I’m not sure if I fucked up so bad the angels threw me here to get rid of me, or if they plan to come back, or hell if I’m the only one they brought.” Lilly admits as she drags her hand through her hair. 

“Where you and Mae together when Zach showed up?” Bobby asks sternly.

Lilly nods. “Of course.” She answers instantly.

Bobby lets out a sigh. “Then it’s likely Mae is here, or he still has her.”

Lilly groans as she wipes a hand down her face. “Then where the fuck is she? He dropped me off here, so where the fuck would he drop her?”

Castiel shakes his head. “I don’t know. I don’t see the point of bringing Mae forward to a time when she’s already under Lucifer’s control. Then again, I don’t see the point of bringing you here after Michael has already given up the planet to Lucifer.””

Lilly just shrugs. “He really does not enjoy me.”

“Where were we when you got taken?” Bobby suddenly asks, his eyes narrowing at Lilly.

“Cass and the brothers were hunting Raph, and you-” Lilly points at Bobby, before she frowns and drops her hand. “You were on a hunt with the Harvelles…” She adds softly as she bit her lip. She knew something had to have happened if they weren’t present, and hadn’t been mentioned. Bobby had a flame with the fiery woman, and it had already seemed like she’d walked on a landmine or two already.

Bobby groans and runs a hand down his face. He keeps his face covered for a long moment before he looks back over to Lilly. “And you left the house?”

Lilly just hangs her head and sighs. “Yeah, yeah we did.” She rubs the back of her neck nervously. She looks up, her eyes darting between Castiel and Bobby. 

Castiel shakes his head. “Nothing we can do about it now.”

“Right?” Lilly smiles sheepishly as she claps her hands together. “So, what are Croats?” She asks curiously.

“People infected by the croatoan virus.” Bobby answers. “Think ‘Return of the Living Dead.”

Lilly blinks. “Zombies? Like brain eating zombies?” 

“No, they don’t just eat brains.” Castiel shakes his head.

“Heard. So crazy fuckin’ canibals.” Lilly takes a deep breath. “Does it infect the dead or just the living?”

“The virus spreads through bites.” Bobby shakes his head before he continues. “I’ve never seen someone come back from the dead, it just turns people crazy. Makes ‘em stronger and faster. Mindless though, and hungry.”

Lilly runs her hands through her hair. So, Sam and her totally Umbrella Corp’d the world, in a horrible, shitty, and apparently half assed attempt to save Mae. Fucking super. She shifts in discomfort. “Of course, s’not an apocalypse without face eaters…” She sighs as she rubs her eyes. This was growing worse by the fucking syllable.

“Right, well if that’s all the questions… We should be trying to find a way to get her back to her own time right?” Bobby looks from Lilly to Castiel and back.

Castiel laughs. “How? I’m fuckin’ grounded, literally. A good chunk of your books were lost, and anything left that has that type of power isn’t going within ten feet of us, let alone her.”

Lilly closes her eyes and exhales deeply. “So, Maat and Thoth are…”

“They uh… They went with Mae to try and, rescue you.” Bobby explains after a long, awkward silence.

Lilly lets out a noise of distress, as she stumbles her hands automatically coming up to hold her head, as it feels like a pick axe is wedged into her temple, leaving her seeing stars as grief that was more than her own cuts through her; leaving her feeling like a game of Jumanji had just been started in her head. 

Castiel grabs Lilly by the arm to steady her. “It was the last time I heard from Mae, when she gave me the details of what happened.” He slowly admits as his eyes shift over to Bobby.

Lilly takes a deep breath, eyes squeezed shut in pain as she let’s out a groan. It seemed her body neighbour wasn’t too pleased with the news either. She takes several deep breathes as she attempts to regain her footing.

Bobby stands up and helps Castiel guide Lilly to the bed. “Take it easy there gidjit. Breath.” Bobby orders her as he pours her a glass of water.

After several long minutes the pain in her temple wades, and she slowly opens her eyes experimentally. She blinks back the tears from the pain and relaxes slightly. “I’m good, sorry.” She breathes out, as she rubs her temple. She looks up at Castiel. “You were saying?”

Bobby and Castiel exchange worried looks.

Lilly takes a deep breath and holds up her hand. “I share my ba. Abomination remember?” She sighs out.

“You were both grieving. I understand. I’m just not sure you should hear more.” Castiel explains, ducking his head at the word abomination.

“Let’s just avoid my- I’m good. I swear.” Lilly sighs as she shakes her head. “I think I heard you mention Mae?” She asks as she looks up at the two men. 

Castiel watches Bobby until he nods. “Right, uh. She had been praying to me, nothing regular, just when she wanted to I suppose. But out of the blue I got a message… She uh, she was dreaming about you dying.”

Lilly sighs. Fucking death omens. “Heard, so she saw my death and what? She’s never given them enough credence to try to stop them before, why this time?” She questions even as she takes the glass from Bobby if only so he’d stop looking at her like she was about to keel over.

Castiel nods. “Well, once she learned she was part Fae, she started getting better at her abilities.” He shrugs. “Lucifer helped her out a lot with them.”

“And it’s you gidjit. You really think she was going to let anything happen to you if she could stop it? Even half crazy Mae couldn’t let that happen.” Bobby adds with an eye roll.

Lilly shrugs tentatively. “I guess that’s true.” 

“So she was trying to warn us.” Castiel shakes his head. “And then she started begging for help. I guess she made a deal with Lucifer to save you.” 

Lilly blinks. “Right. Because deals with the devil usually work in one’s favor. Wonderful.” She sighs. “So, ya’ll didn’t go to that death match, I’m guessin’?” 

“Dean was on the fence bout it, wasn’t sure it wasn’t a trap, but he wasn’t willin’ ta bet yer life on it. So he put us on stand by and went ta talk to Lucifer.” Bobby lets out a deep sigh. “‘Parently Lucifer knocked him out so he couldn’t help. So we never knew where to go.”

“Heard.” Lilly sighs as she rubs the back of her head. 

“Ya made her take the kids and then faced off with Michael ta give ‘em time to get out.” Bobby continues softly, not able to meet her eyes.

Lilly’s eyes widen slightly as she thinks back to her research a frown forming on her lips. What the hell? How the hell had kids fucking happened, she was in the middle of looking over the damn rituals now, had even found a couple that were worth looking over. There was no way in any layer of fuckin’ heaven or hell she wouldn’t have made her decision after Mae had been taken from under her care. There would have been too much at risk, to not have ruined her capacity for kids. How badly had she fucked shit up? And how fucked up had she been to send them off with fuckin’ Mae and fuckin Samifer? “Kids?” She can’t help but to ask as her eyes swept over the two of them.

Bobby and Castiel exchange worried looks again. “Uh, yes. Three of them.”

Lilly chewed her lip. “But, I’ve been researching rituals… How the fuck? Are archangel’s seriously that potent or something?” She asks with disgust.

Castiel tilts his head to the side for a moment before his eyes light up in understanding. “You did do a ritual, and it did it’s job. But uh- Eventually you took it off.”

Lilly blinks as her eyes bounce between the two men in confusion. “I took it off?”

Bobby sighs. “Yeah, under duress.”

“Must have been some fuckin’ duress, since I’m still working under the ‘I’d rather fuckin’ die’ than have that-” She let’s out a slew of curses. “Offspring.”

Bobby shakes his head. “You’ve always been more willing to die than do something against your will. But it wasn’t you they threatened. They killed Regina and then brought me in. You made a fucking deal. My life spared for breaking the ritual.”

Lilly facepalms as she let’s out a sharp ‘fuck’. Yeah that would do it. She lowers her hand as she looks back up at Bobby and shrugs. “Heard.” She sighs as she hangs her head in defeat. She was still having a hard time believing she let Regina die. She had never been the best mother, but she’d certainly never felt hatred towards the woman. What the fuck was wrong with her? At least she could take solace in the fact she hadn’t allowed Bobby to die… She’d already written off the world for an attempt at her sister’s safety. This new bit of information seemed a bit… She wasn’t even sure. Seriously, what the fuck was wrong with her? She brings up her thumb to her lips only to pull it away at the taste of copper, she glanced at the healing wound and frowned. Wonderful, but atleast now she’d die of gangrene before she got back. That would change shit, right quick. Wait, how would that even- “Fuck angels.” She sighs.

Castiel shrugs and frowns. “You’ve already done that with one.”

Lilly can’t help but to burst out laughing at the former angel’s dry comment, some of the tension draining from her. “I see that you acquired a sense of humor with your mortality.” 

Bobby glares at the two of them. “Fuckin’ jits.” He growls at them with a intense look of disapproval, when a sudden knock on the door makes them all jump.

“Hey Bobby, I have a few things I need you to look over. Mind if I come in?”

“Chuck?” Lilly asks them quietly, as she turns towards the door with her brows drawn in confusion before Castiel and Bobby shift to block her from the door’s view.

“Bawls!” Bobby curses under his breath as he looks to Castiel who just nods. “Come on in Chuck. Close the door behind you.” Bobby shouts in response.

Chuck walks in, his brow furrowed as he lets the door close. “Hey, did ya’ll figure out what that commotion was about earlier? I heard somethin’ weird from Amanda…”

“Oh?” Castiel asks as Bobby lets out a groan.

Lilly rolls her eyes. Well if they wanted to hide her maybe they should have taken the eight year old girl too. She scoots to the end of the bed and stands before shouldering her way between Castiel and Bobby. “Sup Chuck?” She asks with a raised brow.

“Oh hey.” Chuck looks up with an uncertain smile before he drops the clipboard in his hand and his back slams into the door as he raises his arm, pointing. “Lilly!”

“Chuck!” Lilly responds mirroring his actions, before she turns up to look at Bobby. “So, cat’s outta the bag-” She begins only to be interrupted.

“What? What the hell is going on? Lilly’s back? Did she not-” Chuck finally recovers enough to begin asking questions.

“No, I’m dead, Zachariah is just being a douchebag.” Lilly sighs, with a dismissive wave.

“She’s from Two thousand nine Chuck.” Bobby explains quickly.

“Oh… Uh… Okay... Dean can’t see her.” Chuck says looking at her in disbelief walking over to her and poking her, much like Castiel had.

 

“Do… Do you mind?” Lilly sighs as she watches Chuck poke her with a raised brow.

“No not really.” Chuck says in shock as he continues to poke at her as if she were mirage. 

“Well I do-” Lilly says her hand coming up to wrap around his wrist. “Stop.”

“I’m sorry. I just, I saw you die, I saw it kill Mae to leave you. I saw what Mae had to do to just try to save you….” Chuck breathes out in awe. “But you’re here.”

Lilly blanches at Chuck's words, nausea turning her stomach.“Yeah, I don’t wanna know. And yeah still dead, and by your reactions...” She breathes out looking over the three men. “I don’t want to see Dean or Mae either...” She sighs as she begins pacing the length of Bobby’s cabin. “I don’t know what to do…” She adds as she brings up her thumb and begins chewing again, finding it hard to focus.

“Uh… Does she know? How long have you been hiding her in here? Since the alarm? Who knows?” Chuck asks, not pausing between his questions for answers as he continued looking over Lilly with awe.

“Apparently everyone.” Castiel sighs.

“Right. Well Dean’s actually looking for you two...” Chuck worries as he rubs his neck, his eyes never leaving Lilly.

“Bawls.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys,  
> Don't forget to leave us a comment letting us know how you're liking our story. Also feel free to ask questions or make suggestions. We look forward to hearing from you!


	20. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys,
> 
> One, OMG SUPERNATURAL IS COMING BACK THIS WEEK!
> 
> *clears throat*
> 
> In this chapter we'll continue to follow Lilly through her time, or dimension, jump. Warning, there be punishments ahead. You guys know how Lilly can be. ;)  
> We hope you enjoy.

46

“Bobby, I’ve got some news.” They all hear Dean shout. Moments later they hear footsteps rushing up the steps.

Lilly looks to the door before rushing to hide behind Bobby and the Angel. Chuck falls into line to help block Lilly from view as the door is pushed open.

“Oh, hey Cass. What did you make of the earlier alarm?” Lilly hears Dean asks, his voice weary, but still sharp and commanding. Her back straightens at the tone as she presses herself against Bobby’s back.

“I, already looked into it, fearless leader. We suspect it had something to do with Zachariah.” Castiel pipes out in response.

“That bastard was here? Like the angels coming back?” Dean barks out.

“Apparently. And no, I’m sorry Dean.” Castiel continues, standing still along with Bobby, as Chuck fidgets in discomfort.

“Right…” Dean shifts as he lets out a sigh. “We ain’t never been that fucking lucky. Why start now?” He lets out a mirthless chuckle before he turns to look at the fidgeter. “Chuck, you ok?”

“Yeah...we’re just-” Chuck starts to say.

“You had some news for me?” Bobby interrupts sending a glare to the shorter man.

“Yes. I found the next location of the colt. I’m taking a group in the morning to fucking retrieve it. Hopefully it’ll will be enough to finally end this god damned war. We still have the stockpile of angel blades Chuck?”

Chuck looks around the room at the taller men before he slowly addresses Dean. “Yeah uh, are you sure that’s what you wanna…”

“Yeah Chuck.” Dean shakes his head, his mouth drawn up in disgust. “I need the colt for Lucifer, but who the fuck knows how many more of those bastards that bitch has popped out since the last recon. We might not have enough bullets for her and the kids. We-”

Lilly’s eye widen in disbelief. “The fuck you just say?!” She growls as she attempts to push past the men blocking her from Dean; they only close in tighter. All thoughts of avoiding him were forgotten at his callous remark. There was nothing, nothing in this world that could possibly justify his words. She glares at the three men blocking her; blocking her path. These men weren’t her family, not really. They couldn’t be. Her Dean would never threaten to kill their siblings, let alone defenseless children, babies from the sound of it.

The entire room freezes for several heartbeats as not a single person in the room breathes. 

Suddenly, Dean pulls a pistol out and walks forward to separate the group standing in front of the imposter. 

“Dean, stop, please. Wait. Cass already looked. It’s Lilly. It’s really Lilly. Zachariah-” Bobby snaps as he attempts to tackle Dean, only to be shoved to the side.

Lilly glares at Dean, her eyes flashing gold with disgust as her chin tilts up in defiance. She shivers as she meets his chilling gaze. His once vibrant green were eyes no more; they were calculating and flat as he narrows his eyes at her. She was oblivious to the way his knuckles whiten as he grips the pistol. The room around them grows thick with tension; everyone fearful that a breath would be enough to trigger something irreversible. 

“Dean. Listen to me man.” Castiel pleads as he pulls Lilly to him by her upper arm, catching her off guard.

“Off!” Lilly snaps, as she brings her arm back to elbow Castiel, ignoring the hiss of pain. Her eyes never leave Dean. “And you.” She growls at Dean, her eyes finally sweeping over the gun. “Whataya gonna do shoot me?” She scoffs with a roll of her eyes, ignoring Castiel’s warning squeeze. 

“Dammit Lilly, stop instigating.” Castiel whispers to her as he clutches her tighter, his free hand going to cover his stomach. “Dean. This is Lilly. I swear it is, you can’t kill her, it could fuck with time, and we all know that’s bad.” He vaguely warns as he steps between the gun and Lilly.

Lilly’s eyes narrows. She shoots Castiel a look of disgust as she pushes him aside. “Fuck off! You’re didn’t even flinch when Dean talked about killing Mae!” She snarls, before she looks over to Dean who still had his gun aimed at her. “Familicide? Seriously? You sold your fuckin’ soul for him you fuckin’ bipolar sonovabitch!” She snarls venomously. She lets out a noise of protest as she’s suddenly lifted her off the floor; her arms restrained as Castiel presses her back to his chest. A litany of multilingual curses pour from her lips, only to be cut off by a callous hand slamming over her mouth firmly.

“Stop!” Bobby barks into her ear with an authority Lilly hadn’t heard from him in years. 

Lilly’s struggles cease instantly as she continues to glare at Dean, eyes glittering gold with defiance. How the hell could this be her Dean? This was another trick. It had to be. He had spoken of killing off their siblings, with the same tone most spoke of the weather. He wanted to murder children; infants. It was abhorrent to her. This couldn’t be her Dean. Zachariah was dicking with her. He had to be. This had to be another trick, a more comprehensive version of the mock version of her kitchen he’d recently dropped her off in. What was the end game here? Her eyes narrow at the thought. She needed to figure that particular question out quickly.

“Lilly?” Dean tilts his head slightly and his eyes soften for the briefest moment as he lowers the pistol slowly. 

“This Lilly is from the past Dean.” Castiel starts to explain, now that everyone was seemingly calm and Bobby was focusing on keeping Lilly quiet. “That’s all I know for sure.”

“Yeah, she has no idea what’s happened here.” Chuck continues as he looks from Lilly to Dean and back.

Castiel nods. “Which means we have to figure out how ta get her back home. To two thousand nine.”

Dean’s eyes narrow in thought, before he focuses his attention back to Lilly. “Zachariah?” He asks as his hard eyes drill into her defiant ones.

“Yes.” Castiel answers for Lilly. “Hence the stir up earlier.”

Dean gives a curt nod. “Still feel him lurking around?” He asks his eyes sweeping up, to meet Castiel’s gaze.

“No Dean. I felt a flash of grace, which is the only reason we got to Lilly in time. I feared that Lucifer had sent a spy.”

Dean nods his eyes going back to Lilly. “Why did he drop you here?” He demands.

Bobby and Castiel exchange glances before Bobby nods. 

Castiel slowly lowers Lilly back to her feet, though he leaves on hand on her shoulder.

Bobby gives her a stern warning glare before he removes his hand from her lips.

Lilly shrugs Castiel’s hand off her shoulder and sends both Bobby and Castiel a nasty look before she looks back to Dean. “Why the fuck should I tell you anything?” 

Dean’s eyes narrow. “Because I need to know.”

“That sounds like a personal problem.” Lilly responds with a raised eyebrow.

“Lilly…” Bobby growls softly in warning.

“No.” Lilly sniffs indignantly. “You all have your own reservations about me. But I’m the one who got tossed here by dickless. Not angel-angel boy confirmed it’s me. And that’s great for the four of you. But fuck this. No. How the fuck am I s’posed ta trust you four are actually you? This could be some warped fuckin’ angel danger room experience for all I know.”

Chuck wrinkles his nose his eyes screw up in thought. After a moment he shrugs his shoulders and gives a little nod.

Castiel shakes his head and looks over to Dean in confusion. 

“Old comic super hero training room Cass. Come on, I gave you all those damn comics while you were recovering.” Dean grumbles before he shakes his head and looks back to Lilly. “Look, I don’t think there is anything we can do to prove we’re real. So trust us or don’t. But that’s on you.” He shrugs, but his eyes continue to trace over her as if he was recommiting every detail to memory. 

Bobby lets out a sigh. “Gidjit, we could go through the whole identity process. Salt, silver, holy water, but that don’t sound like the problem.”

Lilly shoots Bobby a look. “Fine.” Her eyes slide to Castiel. “I’ve got no frame for reference.” She turns and looks at Chuck. “Close enough to what I would think.” Her eyes come back to land on Dean. “No.” She shakes her head. “But they almost got me, so good on them.”

“Why no to me?” Dean snaps. He folds his arms in front of his chest and glares at her.

Lilly’s eyes sweep over Dean in skepticism. “Killing babies? Mae? Fuckin’ Sam?” She scoffs as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Pulling a gun on me was a nice touch. Really brings me back. But fuckin’ offin’ kids? Babies? No.”

Dean rolls his eyes. “You have no fucking clue whats happening here Lilly. I have to do this, I don’t want to, I have to. They’re archangel nephilim, powerful as fuck and bent on human domination.”

Lilly actually snarls at that; a low growl leaving her lips as she takes a step forward. “Like fuck you do!” She snaps. “I don’t give a fuck what they are. They’re still part of fuckin’ Mae. Sam. Me- Apparently. The Dean I know, would never fuckin’ think about that. So whatever this-” She gestures towards Dean. “You, are s’posed ta be. I ain’t fuckin’ buyin’ it.” 

“Well, I guess this is just what happens when your fucking plan failed and I was left in charge of the remains of humanity. Boo fuckin’ hoo. I’m so sorry I ain’t living up to your expectations, but hell, that ain’t really anything new is it?”

Lilly rolls her eyes. “No, my Dean exceeds them you piss poor knock off.” She scoffs, noting the discomfort of Castiel and Bobby and ignoring Chuck’s quick inhale as he shifts nervously. 

“Really? Exceeds them? Then why the fuck do you always question me? Why do you leave notes and go off and do your own fucking thing instead of letting me in on the plan?” Dean grits through his tightened jaw. “Seems like a fucking shitty way to express my accomplishments in your eyes.” 

Lilly’s eyes sweep over Dean lazily. What was the point of this hoop? She tilts her head to the side just slightly, what the fuck was the point of this? She didn’t even understand half of what he was asking. Did the angel’s think she had some type of plan? She stops when she meets his eyes, her heart clenches slightly. How the fuck did they get his eyes so right, yet so fucking wrong at the same time. It hurt to look at him. To listen to him. She can’t help the smirk that tugs at the corner of her lips, they were getting better at this. The spark in Dean’s eyes as he stared her down, flawless; nearly to the point she was questioning herself. Her eyes narrow as she shoves away that thought. Dean sacrificed everything for the innocent; the defenseless. He shuddered at the thought of open displays of emotion. Of course the angel’s would disregard those details. Fine. If the stupid fucking angels wanted to play? She could play. The only question she had to answer now, was how? “Amun-fuckin-Ra, did they give you a pair of ovaries? Shove a tampon in it and get over it. I’m supposedly dead here right? Michael fuckin’ killed me. Just me, maybe Regina? Yeah, okay Dean...” 

“Lilly!” Dean barks in a deep, commanding tone before he closes the gap that had existed between them far faster than she thought possible. He grips her shoulder roughly, his eyes landing on Castiel’s hand still on her other shoulder before he looks up; his eyes silently challenge Castiel, as if daring him to try and keep Lilly from him.

Lilly freezes, startled by how Dean, this Dean suddenly sounds. Chills run down her spine. It seemed the angel’s had gotten something right. This Dean really had his ‘I’m done with this shit’ tone down to a ‘t’. She swallows, her throat suddenly dry. This was going to be a new experience, that at least she was one hundred percent positive of. “Aw, did I strike a nerve?” She taunts as she forces a smile on her lips. This was much more difficult when she was looking at Dean, and not the motherfucker who was actually pulling the strings. “By the way, this ain’t gonna be fun if ya’ll don’t get the fuck off me.” She adds with feigned disinterest. She wasn’t sure how the defensive spell she’d been working with Thoth on was going to affect- Whatever the fuck these mockeries of her family were, but they were all going to figure that out shortly. This was going to suck without a knife.

“Dean!” Bobby hurriedly reaches for Dean’s shoulder, his eyes fearful. “She’s just an gidjit without an off switch.” 

“Dean. You have to let her be.” Castiel warns once more as his fingers dig deeper into her shoulder. “She’s not our Lilly.”

Lilly rolls her eyes as the men argue around her, before she brings her palm to her mouth casually and sinks her teeth into her palm. When the taste of copper overwhelms her she lowers her hand, and forces herself to swallow the remnants of the blood coating her tongue. 

“Uh, uh. I’ve got inventory…” Chuck stutters out as he slowly starts making his way out of the tense cabin. “I’ll get those numbers to you, oh fearless leader.” He adds as he opens the door and slides out shutting it behind him. 

“Dean.” Castiel slowly releases Lilly’s shoulder and holds his hands up. “Please. We need to figure out how to get her home.” 

Dean’s eyes narrow. “Why?” He demands, his fingers tighten reflexively on her shoulder. “So she can go home, plot with Sam and get herself caught so I never see her again?” He growls. “Yeah, I’ll pass on that thanks.”

Lilly pumps her hand by her side as she feels the warm thick liquid coat her fingers. Her eyes glance over the three men. ‘Dean’ was her biggest threat, but Castiel and Bobby were blocking her exit. She frowns. She really hadn’t had much practical application with this. Would it even hurt them? She wasn’t sure but she had to try something. She wasn’t letting the angels win this; she refused. “Sanguis enim-” She begins only to be interrupted by a clattering of shouts and bangs before the room spins around her. She feels herself slammed into a wall; her hands pinned above her head. The room was suddenly dark and her feet were no longer touching the ground. Her nose twitches at the sudden scent of gunpowder, worn leather, and whiskey invading her senses; leaving her mind reeling and knees weak. Dean. They had his scent down to a science. How the fuck could they have possibly known what she was doing? She’d never even used that ritual before, not practically anyways.

Bobby brings a hand up to his head as he turns back to see Dean holding Lilly firmly in place. “What the fuck Gidjit?” He shakes his head and sighs as he looks over to the bed where Castiel dove to escape the punch. 

“I don’t want to be laid up again.” Castiel whines from his perch against the wall furthest from Lilly.

“Cass, you’re nearly human, that could have killed you.” Bobby grunts with a shake of his head. 

Castiel shrugs as he hops down at the foot of the bed, giving Dean and Lilly a wide berth as he approached Bobby. “Well I don’t want that either.”

“Enough!” Dean barks. “Hand me a rope and some tape.” He orders, still pressing Lilly against the wall uncomfortably. “Fuckin’ blood magic.”

Lilly leans into the familiar scent, her body relaxing, finding comfort in the hauntingly familiar scent despite herself. What the fuck was going on? Her eyes widen in shock as a thought strikes her. What if Zachariah really had dumped her ass in the future? It wasn’t like angels seemed to give one fuck or another about disrupting something as complex and intangible as time. 

“Alright Lilly. I tried to play nice, but you clearly are a danger to us, and yourself.” Dean grouses after he accepts the rope and begins to tie her wrists together. 

Lilly doesn’t even struggle against Dean. She was far too caught up in her own thoughts, and his scent, to notice that he was restraining her.

“Why would ya try’in kill us?” Bobby asks as he slaps a strip of towel over her wound and wraps duct tape around her palm.

“She is the one that suggested she was in a danger room.” Castiel points out as he hands Bobby a wet towel.

Lilly pales at the implications. She’d caught that question. Had she? Had she really just tried to kill members of her family? She was such a hypocrite. What the fuck was the point of this exercise? Was Zachariah even still here? Was she really in the fucking future. She tilts her head back, her eyes sweeping over a very pissed looking Dean. What the fuck had she done? She frowns. 

Dean shakes his head. “I’ll take care of this. Keep everyone away from my cabin.” He finishes his rough knots and slowly lowers her back onto her feet as he backs away.

Lilly looked between the three men in confusion, her eyes widening with the sudden realization that if this was really the future, she’d made a very costly mistake. She threatened Bobby and Castiel. She had threatened Dean. A really, unmistakably, broken Dean. She’d taunted him. She lowers her restrained hands cautiously in front of her as true fear floods her for the first time since she’d arrived to this place, and possibly time. 

Bobby watches Lilly’s confused expression for a moment before he looks back to Dean. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Ya got anything better?” Dean snaps as he picks Lilly up and throws her over his shoulder. “You two want to send her back so bad, you try to figure out how. Until then, she’s staying in my cabin.”

“Can I not? I wanna stay with stoner Cass.” Lilly frowns as Dean’s shoulder digs into her stomach. 

Castiel smiles brightly at her and puts his hand over his heart. “Aww, the little assassin wants to stay with me. I’d be touched if I wasn’t terrified.”

“No.” Dean says simply as he turns and walks out of Bobby’s cabin. 

Lilly sighs as she keeps her head down, watching the tracks Dean’s boot’s made in the loose dirt. If this wasn’t some type of simulation, if this was really the future... How the fuck was she supposed to sort the difference? Was she underestimating the angels? Or overestimating them? The line was paper thin and hard to differentiate in her current predicament. She sighs. One was certainly a fuckton more dangerous than the other. She chews her lip. Anachronisms were often corrected by the universe; unless they held power and a shit ton of it. Even with Ahmes soul melded with hers, she wasn’t sure she constituted as such. The angels were playing with fire, that is… Unless they’d actually sent her here to die. As she replayed her conversation from Bobby’s cabin however, that paradox seemed like the least of her concerns. Something had Bobby, Cass, and Chuck all in agreement that Dean should not find her. Too late for that… Her and her fuckin’ mouth. She would’ve facepalmed if her hands weren’t restricted. Had she really almost killed her family? She groans as she let her forehead hit Dean’s back, finding it much more dense than she remembered it. 

“Lose your voice?” Dean asks as he hikes with her up a hill.

“Do you really want a bigger scene?” Lilly grumbles. “Cause if that’s what you're asking for, I can oblige…” 

“No. Just making sure ya didn’t pass out or somethin’.” Dean shakes his head as he continues walking.

“But since you’ve opened dialogue... Can I walk?” Lilly asks with a frown.

“No.”

“Heard.” Lilly sighs in resignation. 

Dean lifts an eyebrow at her easy, simple response, but doesn’t comment as he walks up the rickety steps to his cabin. “Home sweet home.” He grunts as he drops Lilly on the bed.

Lilly’s eyes sweep over the spartan-like cabin, looking around for any other occupants before she tilts her head up to look at Dean. “So. We’re kinda at an impasse. You think I’m trying to kill you, I think you’re trying to kill me. You don’t trust me, I don’t trust you.”

“Are we at an impasse?” Dean questions as he removes his boots and socks.

Lilly tilts her head. “Are we not?” She questions.

Dean frowns and shakes his head. “I’m not sure. I guess you’re the only one that can answer that.” He pins her with a stern glare. “Do not move from that spot, you will not be happy with the consequences if you do.” 

Lilly brows draw together in confusion, the threat bothering her to her core. Before she can stop herself she asks “Why?”

“Because I told you not to move.” Dean shrugs before he walks away.

Lilly shifts in discomfort as she looks to the door, to the windows. She had no idea what was happening, but if this really was Dean… She really didn’t want to be here. He was, too far fucking gone; he was talking about slaughtering babies. She frowns, straining to hear how far away he was. She chews her lip. If this was really Dean, she wasn’t sure she wanted to test him, but on the other hand if this was a new trick from the angels; she had too. Gods only knew what the fuck he was going to do whether this was future Dean or an angelic interpretation. She takes a deep breath before she slips off the bed, throwing all caution to the wind she bolts for the door. 

“What the fuck did I tell you?” Dean snaps as he catches her around her waist before her hands even touch the door handle. “I believe my exact fucking words were ‘Do not move from-” He easily picks her up before walking back to the bed to toss her unceremoniously back in the same place. “-from that spot.’ I think I also mentioned the not liking the consequences.” 

Lilly rolls her eyes. “Did you?” 

Dean gives her a smug smile, the glint in his eyes the only warning Lilly gets before he grabs her by the rope securing her wrists and hauls her across the bed face down. “If I recall correctly, this is the method I was using back in two thousand nine to get you to listen to me.” He accents each word with a no nonsense, hard swat across her cheeks.

Lilly’s eyes shoot open as she struggles to find leverage to stand. “Get the fuck away from me!” 

“No.” Dean states firmly as he presses one fist into the small of her back to hold her in place. “I obviously let you get away with far too much all those years ago. You need to learn a lesson. How fast you do… Well, that’s up to you.” He peppers swats over her cheeks and upper thighs.

Lilly jaw tenses as Dean hits her harder than she’d been hit in a long while. The mixture of emotions was confusing her as she tried to figure out what the fuck was happening. Like this shitty situation hadn’t been confusing enough. He smelled like Dean, looked like Dean; But this wasn’t the first mind fuck the angels had pulled. If this really was Dean, like twenty fifteen Dean, well… Did it really matter right now? He had the upper hand. Fuck he had hands, which was currently more than she had right now. Did she really wanna push this? Could she afford not too? 

“I told you to fucking stay and what did you do?” Dean asks as he takes a short break and adjusts the skirt Lilly was wearing so it wasn’t tangled in her legs.

Lilly tenses, her mind still racing to determine whether this was Dean or some twisted version of him. Was that a rhetorical question? Or was he expecting an answer?

“Lilly! I’m talking to you.” Dean lands a particularly strong smack to her sit spot. “When I ask you a question you answer me.”

“Oh.” Lilly hisses out with a wince. “Heard.”

Dean stays quiet for a moment before he sighs and sits on the edge of the bed. “So what did you do instead of doing what I told you to do?” He asks as he grips the rope restraining her wrists.

“Which time?” Lilly responds smartly, before she can stop herself.

Dean shakes his head and hauls her across his lap. “Do you think you’re being cute?” He questions as he adjusts her to lay across one knee while he secures her legs with his free leg, depriving her of the ability to kick.

“Not particularly.” Lilly breathes out, the familiar position doing nothing to help sort her thoughts. She really needed to figure out whether this was a holo deck, or actually Dean; quickly. Had Castiel really reported this part of their relationship to heaven? She felt so ridiculously torn it hurt. 

“What did I tell you to do Lilly?” Dean demands as he pushes her head closer to the ground to get a better angle.

Lilly’s eye twitches at the demeaning tone and the way he was treating her. Like she was a fucking child, or dog. A blush sweeps across her cheeks and down her throat from embarrassment and frustration.

Dean shakes his head and lays into her in the new position, alternating his swats randomly between her cheeks and thighs; between loud, stinging slaps and deep, jarring smacks. 

Lilly grits her teeth, wincing at the smacks as she struggles to get out of his hold, even though she knew it was futile. “What happened to just fucking taking out my lungs!” She growls.

Dean’s eyes narrow and his hand doesn’t land again. “What?”

“What the fuck is the point of this? I can pretend the cancer hurts more. If it makes you feel better, I can scream louder as you remove organs.”

“You… You think I’m an angel fucking around with you?” Dean lowers his hand to rest across her warm ass. “You fucking act like this with the gods damned angels that took you?”

Lilly’s eyes narrow in thought. Game? Not game? Had that sonovabitch seriously just dropped her off in the future? This was confusing. Was this really Dean? She hangs her head in defeat. Did it matter? Yes it fucking mattered. But how the fuck was she supposed to tell the difference?!

Dean nods slowly. “Okay. That’s fine. I can see I have my work cut out for me.”

“Hold up. I’m thinking.” Lilly mumbles as she glares at the floor.

“Oh that’s adorable, you think you get a say in this punishment.” Dean lets out a hollow snort before he roughly pulls her skirt up and bunches it at her waist, revealing forest green lacy boyshorts.

Lilly clicks her tongue. Dean was bossy. But angels were also bossy. This was oddly sexual for an angel punishment… But she was supposed to be a ‘sheath’. She narrows her eyes. Angels had to be vanilla as fuck… Unless that preconceived notion was wrong. Fuck, now she was just going in circles and going down roads she had zero interest in actually traveling.

Dean begins spanking her again. “You know what? I’ve really missed seeing you in this color. I use to wonder if you bought these green panties just for me, just to match my eyes. I was always torn though, because that seemed ridiculously sweet and mushy, which you certainly never wanted to let on that you could be. Except with me, in private. And even then in short bursts.”

Lilly bites back a scream as she winces; her entire ass and both thighs hot and stinging from the slaps. That was oddly intimate to come from an angel. She takes a deep breath, her fists balling as tears gather in her eyes. If this wasn’t Dean she’d- She hangs her head. What the fuck was she going to fucking do? Annoy him to death? 

“It’s the little things that I dreamed about after you left, after you were taken.” Dean continues as his hand peppers almost lazily across her cheeks. “The way you smelled after a shower. The well practiced way you wrapped the ribbons and lace around your wrists even after your scars were removed. The sight of you dancing around the kitchen, humming and smiling as you cooked or baked.” His comments were so at odds with his actions; his words were tender even as his hand was violently turning her ass red.

Tears of frustration and confusion cloud her vision as she squeezes her eyes shut tightly. Even if this was really a future version Dean and not some weird grace filled illusion, it didn’t matter. He still wasn’t hers. The slaps were sharper, the strength less restrained. However it was the stirring of her arousal that was bothering her the most, regardless of who or what this Dean actually was. He wasn’t hers and it felt wrong.

Dean suddenly stops swatting her and instead rests his hand on her hot, panty clad skin. “Are you ready to start talking to me yet?” He asks as he slowly begins to massage her stinging skin. “I’ve managed to give you a pretty good warm up.”

Lilly bites her lip, swallowing a moan as she tries to catch her breath. Her entire being attempting to ignore the feelings his touch was eliciting; his scent clinging to the air impossible to ignore. She closed her eyes as guilt flooded her. “Wha-” She clears her throat when she realizes how husky she sounded. “Yes.” She bites out. 

Dean sucks his teeth before he clicks his tongue. “Are you sure?” He asks as he swats each cheek once before he resumes his gentle caress. “That didn’t sound genuine to me.”

Lilly closes her eyes, humiliation sweeping through her as a moan slips past her lips at the quick switch between the tenderness and violence. She takes a deep breath. “Yes.” She attempts again, though there’s still an edge to it.

“Getting better Hufflepuff.” Dean chuckles darkly as he hooks his thumbs into her lacy panties and tugs them down roughly to her knees before he secures her over his knee again. “So then, what did I tell you to do after I put you down on the bed?”

“Not to move!” Lilly quickly spits out, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

“Right.” Dean’s hand rubs the tender skin of her thigh. “And what did you decide to do instead?”

“Move.” Lilly winces at the admission. If this was seriously angels she was- She hangs her head. There was literally nothing she could do. 

Dean tilts his head with a small frown. “More specifically?” He asks, letting his hand hover over the swell of one cheek.

Lilly licks her dry lips. What answer did he fucking want? “Tried to leave?” She offers.

Dean pulls his arm back and lands a heavy palm against her cheek. “You tried to run away from me.” He corrects sternly, smiling when her surprised yelp morphs into a moan.

Lilly lets out a deep breath. Was that rhetorical? Or was she supposed to agree? The thought of arguing crossed her mind as well, but she really wasn’t sure she wanted this to go further; well part of her was sure she didn’t, the part made of guilt. She shifts in discomfort as she looks down at the floor. 

Dean resumes rubbing her red, stinging skin. “And do you remember what I said would happen if you moved?”

Lilly nods her head, afraid of opening her treacherous mouth.

With a smug smile Dean assaults her tender cheeks, peppering quick, sharp slaps. “I asked you a question Lilly.”

“Conse-Consequences” Lilly shouts out quickly.

“Right.” Dean nods as he readjusts her, freeing one of her legs before he resumes his earlier position again with one leg still trapped under his leg. “And something about not enjoying them, right?”

Lilly let’s out a resigned sigh. “Yes.”

Dean shakes his head as he rests his hand on her lower back and bends closer to her head. “I don’t think I’m doing a good job though.” He growls.

Lilly can’t help the shudder as his hot breath tickles her ear, apprehension rushes through her. She really hated herself right now. 

“And I really hate doing a... Piss. Poor. Job.” Dean sits back up and starts spanking her in earnest. The thwacks and smacks echo around his nearly empty room, mixing with her sharp inhales of breath, gasps of pain, and throaty moans. 

Lilly can’t help when the tears of frustration and disgust finally fall. She struggles for a moment before she buries her hands into her hair pulling at the roots in attempt to focus, her thoughts at war with each other. Her breaths come out in short gasps as she tries to breath through the moans. This was Smith all over again. What the fuck was wrong with her? Had she always been this fucking disloyal?

“You really think I’m a fucking angel. By now you’re usually whining that I’m wearing too many clothes and begging with your perfect amber eyes.” Dean sighs as he looks up from her bright red ass, noticing her fingers wrapped in her hair. “No babe, get your fingers out of your hair.” He barks as he easily untangles her hands and pulls her arms back.

Lilly squeezes her eyes shut. Had any of that been a question? Or was he just making statements now? Fuck! She could barely think.

Dean rubs her stinging skin, massaging one cheek. “Do you think I’m me, or an angel?”

Lilly bites back a moan, resenting herself when her body relaxes at the familiar touch. She had met a conclusion, albeit she was still on the fence on whether this Dean was ‘real’ or not. “Not mine.”

“So you know that I’m me. And Cass is Cass and Bobby is Bobby and you can’t fucking go around biting yourself and punching people?” Dean asks, letting his soothing touch slide down to tend to her red thighs.

Lilly just nods. She wasn’t going to correct him, and on the off chance this was the future and not a simulation she had no interest in hurting any one.

Dean lands several sharp swats to the rounded swell of her cheeks. “I didn’t hear you.”

“Yes.” Lilly bites out quickly.

“Tell me what you understand Lilly.” Dean orders as he continues to land one smarting swat after another to her already thoroughly spanked ass and thighs.

“Th-Tha-” Lilly moans. “No-” She closes her eyes. “No b-b-biting. Noo-” She clamps her lips shut and takes a deep breath though can do nothing about guttural moan. “Punching.” She spits out quickly, between her pants. 

Dean nods and keeps his hand on her thighs after his last smack. “Right. I need all the people in my camp for these upcoming missions.” He lets out a sigh as he starts massaging her now burning skin. He clicks his tongue as his fingers lightly brush against the dampness between her legs. “I seem to recall saying you weren’t suppose to enjoy this.”

Lilly’s brow furrows together for a moment at his former comment, only to be distracted by the second; albeit it was his touch that commanded her full attention. Her eyes close as she tries to contain the shudder of pleasure coursing through her; only to fail miserably. A deep moan was her only response. 

“I should strap you to my table, really interrogate you.” Dean chuckles as he continues to ghost his fingers over her skin. “Or just teach you a lesson you won't ever forget. If you’re actually from the past, maybe it will help us avoid this fucking mess.”

Humiliation, disgust, and arousal war within her as she subconsciously grinds against him. She wasn’t sure she’d ever wanted Dean more, and that thought both disgusted and embarrassed her as a desperate whimper passes her lips. Her eyes widen in surprise at the noise as she feels hives spreading down her neck.

“Then again, we don’t even know what Zachariah's game is. What did he say when he left you in my backyard?” Dean asks as he starts massaging her ass again. 

“N-N-Not-Th-th-ing.” Lilly pants out as her entire body trembles.

Dean lands a hard smack on her sit spot. “Are you lying to me Lilly?”

Lilly vehemently shakes her head. “T-T-T-ol-d hi-fuck! Him. To-to f-fuck off.” She gets out as quickly as she can.

“Of course you did.” Dean shakes his head before he lets her arms go and carefully helps her to stand, letting her skirt drop to cover her once more before he pulls her back into his lap to cradle her against his chest. He presses his lips tenderly to her temple and brushes stray hair out of her sweaty, tear stained face. “We don’t know what he has planned Lilly. Gods only know if he plans to come back for you. I don’t know what his endgame is with this move.”

Lilly looks down at her lap, refusing to meet his eyes as she attempts to calm herself. It was hard to think about anything when she knew how close she was to Dean’s dick. When had she become such a disloyal slut? She was fucking shaking she was so fuckin’ turned on. She was fucking pathetic. She chews her bottom lip. 

“Lilly.” Dean breathes her name against her hair like a prayer; reverently, as if she were a goddess he wanted to place on a pedestal and worship. “Please look at me. I never thought I’d see you again. I need to see your eyes.” 

Lilly shivers and pulls into a tight ball. She couldn’t. She was already walking a thin line. His tone, the familiarity of it cut through her like a knife. 

After a few long moments sitting in silence Dean roughly stands and dumps her on the bed behind him. “Fine. Have it your way then.” He looks down at her, his eyes dark as his jaw tightens.

At the abrupt movement Lilly’s torn from her thoughts and her eyes meet Dean’s. Another shiver ripples through her, to her core. His cold green eyes pierce her glazed gold.

Dean stares at her, transfixed. One hand reaches out to palm the side of her face; his thumb tracing her tear stained cheeks in a silent awe.

This wasn’t healthy. This wasn’t fair to Dean. She was a monster, and she was going to meet herself in the belly of a giant motherfucking snake; but she couldn’t stop her still bound hands from coming up to his jeans in an attempt to tug him closer. She nuzzles into his palm for the briefest moment before she turns her head just so; her lips wrapping around his thumb as she sucks on it.

Dean closes his eyes and leans his head back as he lets out a soft groan. “Dammit Lilly, I’ve fucking missed you. Every fucking, shity day since that stupid fucking piece of shit angel stole you from me.” He bends over her and opens his eyes again, staring into her’s like he could see into her soul. “I fucking need you babe.” He admits in a hoarse whisper.

Lilly moans around his thumb as she meets his gaze. His vibrant green eyes shimmering brightly with familiarity for the first time she had ended up in this shit heap. Her tongue wraps around his thumb; massaging it for a moment before she releases it with a wet ‘pop’. 

Dean leans closer to her, claiming her mouth as he slowly joins her in the bed. He braces himself with a fist on either side of her shoulders as he kisses her back against his pillow. 

“Winchester this is Delta, over.”

Dean lets out a groan as he pulls away from Lilly. “Fucking radio.”

Lilly eyes narrow in confusion; whimpering at him pulling away from her. “Wha?” She moans as her bound hands come up and bury in his shirt in attempt to tug him back to her. Her legs wrap around him; moaning as she grinds against him needily.

Dean shakes his head and presses his lips to her forehead. 

“Delta to Winchester, over!” 

“Sorry babe, I gotta take this.” Dean groans again as he rolls out of the bed, grumbling about squad leaders that don’t know their heads from their dicks.

“Are you fucking serious?!” Lilly hisses as she glares at him with disbelief.

Dean gives her a little boyish grin before he swipes up the radio mic from the table. “Yeah yeah, Winchester here, go ahead Delta, over.”

“I got the men ready for the briefing, awaiting your orders, over.”

Dean shakes his head and slams the mic into the table as he bends over it with a grimace on his face. After a few seconds he shakes his head again and slams his hand down on the mic. “Be there in a few minutes, over and out.”

Lilly closes her eyes as she falls back on the bed, reality quickly catching up with her as an intense blush, fueled by humiliation and mortification covers her face. What the fuck was wrong with her? Where the fuck was her integrity? Her loyalty? She wasn’t even sure if this Dean was a gods damn sim or the real deal- Five years from now. 

“So, the new question is whether you want to stay tied up in my bed, or join Bobby in his cabin. I have to go handle this though. It’s a small window.” Dean explains as he walks back over to the bed and kneels down over Lilly. “Don’t worry, we’ll pick up when I get back.” He assures her before he presses his lips to her temple.

Lilly shifts with discomfort. A fucking cat; that’s what she was. Some green eyes, the scent of worn leather, and a fuckin’ spanking and she turned into a yowling cat in heat. This wasn’t even her fucking Dean. What the fuck was wrong with her? She needed the fuck out, and she needed it fucking badly. She needed to get her shit together, and get the fuck out of this shit hole. She wanted her Dean. Mae. She blanches. He was leaving her to go find weapons to kill their siblings. To kill children. Disgust floods her and she instantly turns away from him and sits up. Her ass painfully sore and throbbing as she moves to the side of her bed.

“Babe?” Dean twists to sit on the edge of the bed next to her and grabs his socks and boots to put on. “What’s wrong?”

Lilly just gives a silent shake of her head. 

“I asked you a question Lilly.” Dean growls.

“Good for fucking you.” Lilly snaps fueled by disgust with herself, as she stands to her feet.

“Wow, you don’t retain lessons as well as I remember.” Dean shakes his head as he finishes pulling his boots on. He stands up next to her, his eyes disappointed as he grabs her by her upper arm and bends her over his thigh to land a few sharp smacks on her already abused ass.

Lilly bites her lip to keep back the yelps of pain, the smacks nothing but unpleasant with her arousal completely dissipated. 

Dean holds her in the position. “I see this is going to take a few sessions to stick.” He brings his hand down once more, even distributed across both cheeks. “You will obey me. That’s the only way we can make it through this Lilly. I am the leader, you follow my orders, or deal with the consequences. Understood?”

“Heard.” Lilly bites out spitefully.

Dean shakes his head as he lets her up. “You’ll learn.” He looks down to find her green lace underwear on the floor next to his boot. With a small smile he bends down and pockets them.

Lilly rolls her eyes as she turns away from him. She needed fucking answers, and instead she ended up rubbing all over this Dean like a fuckin’ bitch in heat. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so utterly disappointed with herself. She goes to run a hand through her hair, only to remember her hands were still bound. 

“I’d like to trust you babe, but you’ve already shown me that I can’t.” Dean shrugs. “So I’m taking you back to Bobby’s.”

Lilly just shrugs in response, her eyes sweeping over the floor as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

Dean rolls his eyes and scoops her up in his arms bridal style before he turns and exits his cabin.

“I can walk.” Lilly immediately spits out, as she struggles to get away from him.

“I can put you back over my knee right now, or you can behave. Your choice.” Dean offers as he continues to walk down a path.

Lilly pauses, giving it serious consideration. The only thing stopping her was the remnants of her dignity as she hangs her head in defeat.

“Good choice.” Dean nods.

Lilly rolls her eyes and mumbles something that sounds strikingly like ‘fuck off’ under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Oh sorry, I said fuck off. I just assumed you wouldn’t want people to hear it.”

Dean sighs as he comes to a stand still. “You either really enjoy being spanked, or you really enjoy losing when you call my bluffs.” He shakes his head as he drops to one knee and tosses her over his thigh. “I warned you.”

“Yeah, story of my fucking life!” Lilly mimics his tone.

With an eye roll Dean spanks her in the open, right there on the path. “My. Rules. Are. Simple. Lilly.” He lectures, punctuating each word with it’s own sharp slap.

Lilly keeps defiantly silent, the taste of blood fills her mouth as pain tears through her. She grew up as the treacherous one. Public beatings? She’d experienced them since her first fucking period. Top that off with the fact that the chances of her ever seeing these people again, assuming they even existed- Which to be honest at this point, she was pretty damn sure they did- was child’s play. The memories this was dredging up were worse.

“Keep this shit up and I will strap you to my table Lilly. Do not test me on that.” Dean grabs a handful of her skirt and cheek. “You might find enjoyment in this, but I guarantee you will not like what happens to you on the table.”

Lilly can’t help her flinch at the painful grip, but bites her cheek roughly to keep from crying out. She spits out the mouthful of blood, not much sure how much more of the metallic liquid she was willing to swallow today.

Dean shakes his head, but pulls her back into his arms as he stands and continues walking. “I shouldn’t be gone for more than a few hours. And we can celebrate when I get back.” He continues to talk to her as if nothing had just happened.

Lilly opts to just look at the ropes restraining her wrists. She was not getting out of them without something sharp, and even then it would take time. She needed to get the fuck away from this place. The angels could go fuck themselves. She was fucking done with this fucked up roller coaster. 

After a short, silent walk Dean sets her back on her feet in front of Bobby’s door. “You will behave for Bobby, do you understand?”

Lilly can’t resist rolling her eyes. “Yep.”

Dean shakes his head but bangs on the door.

Bobby opens the door. “What Dean?”

Dean pushes past him, yanking Lilly behind him as he walks her over to Bobby’s bed and pushes her into it. “You’re going to stay here while I’m gone. Do you understand me?”

Lilly can’t help the wince as her ass hits the bed, a yelp leaving her lips before she can stop herself. Her eyes narrow at the worn comforter; feeling Dean’s gaze burning into her. “Heard.” She responds dismissively.

Dean pulls a set of handcuffs from his jacket. “I’ve got things to do Bobby. I’m leaving her with you.” He snaps one around the ropes binding Lilly’s wrist before he snaps the other end to the headboard.

Bobby looks between Lilly and Dean before he slowly nods. “Right. I’ll watch her boy.” He states gruffly.

Dean stomps to the front door before he turns to look back over to Bobby. “She better be here when I get back.” His voice was strained with tension before he slams the door open and walks out.

Bobby runs his hand down his face, rubbing at his eyes. “I’m gettin’ too ol’ for this shit.”

“Gettin?” Lilly asks as she turns to look at him. “You’ve been sayin’ that for nearly two decades ol’ man.”

Bobby chuckles darkly. “Yeah, every damn day I’m gettin’.” He shakes his head again before he looks her over. What he thought about the state she was in however, he kept to himself. “Can I get ya a book or something to eat?”

Lilly shakes her head as she tests the integrity of the cuffs. “So, would he like- He would kill you if I left, right?”

Bobby lets out a long suffered sigh with a frown. “I’d really like to think he wouldn’t.”

Lilly sweeps her eyes over Bobby. “I see.” She nods.

“I’m sorry gidjit, I would’ve preferred ya didn’t see that.” Bobby runs a hand over his face as he walks over to a side table.

“Don’t apologize, it’s like ya said. I was the one who didn’t listen.” Lilly sighs with a shake of her head. “I’m going to find a way back eventually…” 

“We’re looking into a way ta get you back to your time.” Bobby grabs a dusty bottle of whisky and two plastic cups before he walks over to lean against the dresser next to the bed. “I ain’t a monster Lilly, I want you home and- Ya know, relatively safe. At least away from this fucking mess.”

Lilly snorts. “When have I ever been safe?” 

“Hence the relatively.” Bobby smiles at her.

“I’ll figure something out, you know. Whether this is a time line, or some odd sim, I’m gettin back. You don’t need to get in the middle of this.” Lilly responds with a frown as she stares at the stained ceiling. “So...Did he like piss on everything? Or is this just ya know, John coming out? Or maybe shitty programming.”

Bobby shakes his head as he pours them both a measure of the amber liquid. “I have no idea where it came from.” Bobby turns to look her over again. “I just know that the people respect him and follow him.” With a sigh Bobby leans over her and picks the cuff secured to her wrist. “Ya still think this is all fake then?”

“Ya know, I remember him having that trait without him being a giant dick.” Lilly mumbles as she watches Bobby begins to untie her wrists. “Balancing on the fence...” She admits with a shrug as her eyes sweep up to his. “Mind playing a game with me?” She smiles.

Bobby lifts an eyebrow at her as he pulls his pocket knife from his boot. “It’s been a long time since ya asked me that.” He smiles softly before he nods. “Sure, as long as we’re also playing ‘Don’t punch Bobby’.” He clicks the knife open and begins to gently cut the corded knots securing her wrists.

Lilly’s silent for a moment as she thinks over things she was sure the angels would overlook. “What game did I make Mae play when we were dumped at your place as kids?”

Bobby chuckles. “Inside the house or outside?” He asks as he frays the first length. “Wait, never mind, she use to cry till you would agree to be dragged outside. Let me think now. You use to make her sit on the bed or the fireplace while you scrubbed my poor house.”

“Your house needed scrubbing.” Lilly comments absently. “Regina always liked me more when I cleaned…” She adds with a shrug. 

“She would…” Bobby rolls his eyes. “You two pretended the floor was lava so Mae would stay still and you could clean. I’d never seen her so quiet until you made it up.” He lets out a snort. “How’d you convince her you could walk on lava when she couldn’t?”

Lilly closes her eyes and lets out a drawn out curse as she pumped her hands to get the circulation going again, absently rubbing at the deep indentations and raw bruising skin. “She was allergic. It burned her feet.” 

“Right, because you used bleach.” 

“It’s the most efficient sanitizing agent.” Lilly sighs.

“Still think I'm fake?” Bobby asks as he hands her a little plastic cup.

Lilly frowns as her eyes sweep over him before she takes the cup. “Unfortunately, not so much. This would be much easier if you were…” She sighs as she takes a sip of the whiskey. She can’t help the smile on her lips. Of course Bobby would have liquor in the apocalypse. His poor liver. She shakes her head. “What happened during Tony and River’s funeral?” She asks. Bobby hadn’t been available, he’d been off on what she now knew must’ve been a hunting trip. However he had been the one to deal with that fallout. She really wasn’t one for reminiscing over the past like this… But she needed to know.

Bobby lets out a painful sigh and downs his cup in one gulp. “I only got second hand accounts of the whole thing.” He reminds her as he fills his cup again before he sits on the bed, leaving her more than a foot of space between them. “But that was the first real fight you two got in. John called me. Said he’d stumbled across Mae, had saved her from- “He sighs as he glared at the floor. “He killed the guy that hurt her, don’t know if you knew that or not.”

Lilly purses her lips. “It’s the only thing we bonded over.” She sighs as she took another sip of the whiskey. The liquor burning the cuts in her cheek.

“I found another hunter to take over for me and flew back immediately. John and I both suspected that something strange was happening in Mae’s family and we agreed to look into it.” Bobby sighs and looks down into the amber liquid. “I was surprised by how much he cared, being the father of the year figure he’d always been to the boys and all.”

“Mae certainly has a tendency to drag that outta people.” Lilly sighs.

“I wish that was always true.” Bobby drains his cup.

Lilly’s eyes sweep over Bobby. “Well, how stable was satan?” She asks as she studies his features. 

“How stable can you be after being locked in solitary for millions of years?” 

“Then it was always going to be a mess.” Lilly sighs as she runs her hand through her hair.

“Yeah. Crazies do seem to get crazier around her.” Bobby shudders before he stands to fill his glass again. “Wanna ‘nother?” He offers to pour more into her cup.

Lilly shakes her head. “I’m havin’ a hard of enough time workin’ through shit.”

Bobby shrugs and sets the bottle back down. “We still playing remembrance or…?”

“One more.” Lilly frowns. “What’s the B stand for in lil’ B?”

“Well, ain’t that a load of shit Lilly.” Bobby chuckles as he plops down next to her again. “No one fucking knows what it stands for. Some say baker, some say bitch, some say blazed outta her mind, to others it’s beast.” He shakes his head and looks over at her. “You tryin’ ta trip me up or something? I didn’t even give you that biker name, don’t ever use it either.”

Lilly chuckles darkly as she downs the rest of her the amber liquid. “Yep.” She smiles as she leans against Bobby, her head resting on his shoulder. Real. This was real. Too many little details. She sighs. She’d really been hoping for an angel simulation… At least meant she hadn’t acted like a fuckin’ bitch in heat for a damn grace fueled bot thing. Little things. She let’s out a deep sigh. Real.

“I’m sorry gidjit.” Bobby scoots closer to Lilly and wraps an arm around her, letting her hide her head against his chest.

“It’s cool, it’s more than I had when I got here.” Lilly sighs. “Thank you for humoring me…”

“Whatever ya need right now Lilly. Ya know that. This is a fucked up situation, but I swear I’ll look out for ya until we can get ya back home.” Bobby rubs her arm gently as he braces her to his side.

Lilly can’t help the smile on her lips. How had she thought he was a trick of the angels was beyond her… Besides the fact the angels seem to adore indulging in these games. “So, they dropped me off…” She sighs as she thinks about that, before she suddenly sits up. “What if they dumped Mae, with your Mae.”

Bobby let’s out a sigh. “Then I’m just gonna have to go get her. But I don’t think she’s here. I’m thinking that Zachariah just brought you.”

Lilly runs her hands down her face. “How are you so sure?” She asks as she looks up at him with a frown.

“Because if sane Mae found herself in trouble, she’d call to Cass for help.”

“But he’s wingless? Is he still getting prayer radio?” Lilly asks with a frown. 

“He’s still an angel, he can sense other angels, feel powers, he’s still got more than human strength.” Bobby explains. “And we send messages to him via prayers instead of using a radio.”

Lilly’s brows furrow at that. “Wait! Can he tap?” She asks as she looks up at Bobby suddenly alert as she hops to her feet and begins pacing. Her hands pulling through her hair in thought. Peices. Pieces were good.

“Uh, I’m not sure.” Bobby frowns. “Sounds like a Cass question.”

Lilly frowns but nods in understanding. “Heard... “ She looks back at Bobby. “What drugs does he have?” 

Bobby rolls his eyes. “All kinds of shit. We raided a pharmacy about six months ago.”

“Herbs? Like pot or opium?” Lilly asks with a frown.

“Ah, well I’m sure he still has his pot field, somewhere.” 

Lilly snorts at that. “Good. He can share.”

Bobby narrows his eyes at her for a moment. “Why?”

Lilly shoots Bobby a sheepish smile. “Meditation. I need to think.”

“Yer gonna meditate on bruises?” Bobby shakes his head, his eyes closed and mouth drawn up in distaste.

Lilly shoots Bobby a glare. “We are not having this discussion.” 

Bobby lets out a long sigh. “Look, I’ll get you the stuff you need, and a bag of ice and I’ll ask Cass if he still has any of the bruise ointment.”

Lilly waves her hand dismissively. “I’m fine. Don’t waste resources. I’m not sure how long I’m stuck here, and with no access to… I need to speak with Ahmes. She’s been… Pushing.”

“Gidjit, stop. I ain’t askin’ for permission ta do these things for you.” Bobby rolls his eyes as he stands. “I’ll also look into gettin’ ya some boots. Take a pair of socks from that drawer over there. I don’t suppose you’d consider trading out the skirt?”

“Gross.” Lilly screws into a look of disgust at wearing someone else’s pants in a dystopian apocalypse commando. “But boots would be nice. Thank you.”

Bobby just smiles at her. “Ya got it gidjit. Just hey.” He walks up to her and puts a finger under her chin to get her to look up at him. “Promise you won’t try to leave without me.”

“Uh, yeah no. I’m staying here.” Lilly states.

“All right. I’ll be back soon then. Bathroom’s down the hall there if ya want it. It’s got a real shower.”

Lilly nods a small smile on her lips. “Thank you.” She looks down in thought for a moment. “For always looking out for me.”

Bobby chuckles before he musses her hair. “Yer my gidjit, what else am I s’posed ta do with ya?”

Lilly gives him a genuine smile. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking the time to click on and read our series. I know I (Hi, this is Dark that writes these btw) haven't been keeping up with writing these notes, and I am super sorry that it has appeared as if we don't care enough to attempt to chat with you, our readers. We are super appreciative of every read, kudos and comment that we get. If you have any questions, suggestions, comments, encouragements or critiques, please by all means, comment or contact us. We are both avid writers who just kind of fell into fanfiction at separate points in our lives and then finally revealed that side to each other and now, wallah, we love writing together. But we can only improve, and bring you stories that you love reading, if we get some direction. Thank you so much again for sharing in our adventure, and we'll be back next Sunday with another chapter.


	21. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilly finds herself in the future and has to make some tough calls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Reader,
> 
> Good to see you again. We hope you're enjoying our take on 'The End'.

47.

Dean shakes his head as he walks next to an even more haggard Bobby and hippy Castiel. What in the hell had they done? Lilly, Mae, and Sam were dead. He was apparently insane and in charge of his own resistance with the two flanking him. If they hadn’t killed the devil in the five years that they’d been trying, what made them think that they could now? But oh no, apparently he didn’t trust himself, couldn’t be bothered to tell himself the plan. He lets out a deep sigh. The thoughts were giving him a headache. Why the hell had Zachariah sent him here to marinate in this shit? And why was his future self so pissed at his appearance? He rubbed his bruised jaw. He hadn’t even said anything before he had sucker punched him.

“So, why couldn’t we talk in Cass’s love shack?” Dean asks as he shoots both men a look of suspicion.

Bobby and Castiel share a look. “It’s best we talk in my cabin. Cass always had people stopping by, and yer gonna confuse em.” Bobby grunts with a shrug.

“Yeah, I bet he has people always stopping by.” Dean chuckles as he claps Castiel on the shoulder. “And just think, we just took you to your first nudie bar a few days ago.”

Castiel chuckles as a lazy grin spreads across his lips. “I remember… Was not so smooth with the ladies at that time.” He nods. 

“Nah man, I hear all girls love to be told they have daddy issues.”

Bobby shakes his head. “Idjits, takin’ an angel ta a damn strip club.”

“Oh come on Bobby. There was a huge chance we were gonna die… Again. He was a virgin. I couldn’t let my buddy die like that.” Dean shakes his head.

Bobby shift his eyes to Dean and shakes his head. “So ya hire the damn angel a prostitute?”

“No. He made me speak to a girl calling herself Charity. I was told not to order off menu.” Castiel snorts and shakes his head. “By the way Dean, I understand what that means now.”

Dean chuckles as he claps Castiel on his back. “Again, up to the daddy issues you were good man.”

“Idjits.” Bobby snorts, but can’t hide his smile. He sighs when they reach the stairs of his cabin. “This is it.” He sighs with a gesture as he shares a look with Castiel.

Castiel takes a deep breath. “Alright Dean, there’s something else we need to tell you before you see for yourself.”

Dean tilts his head as he looks to Castiel. “Oh yeah, what’s up?”

Castiel shakes his head as he looks Dean over. “Uh… You’re not our first visitor from oh nine this week.” He smiles sheepishly.

“What?!” Dean looks between Bobby and Castiel before he tears up the stairs. “Who the hell is here with me? Is it Sam? Did they find him too.”

Bobby and Castiel follow him up the steps at a more casual pace. 

“No.” Castiel responds lazily.

Dean skids to a halt when his eyes land on Lilly sitting in the middle of the floor on pillows and blankets. Lilly in a skirt and ripped up band tee. “What the fuck?” He asks as he just stares at her in disbelief; she looked completely unconcerned and ethereal in with the ribbons of smoke rising from the incense. It was almost surreal. 

Bobby grimaces as he shuts the door behind him and Castiel. 

“We found her during a raid.” Castiel shrugs as his eyes scan Lilly lazily. He walks over to her and bends down to pluck the remaining blunt off off a plate. “She’s such an odd kid.” He shakes his head as he pockets the remaining half and walks over to lazily lean against the wall. 

Dean’s eyes narrow. “How long has she been here?” He asks as he continues studying her his eyes lingering on the bruises covering her wrists.

“Bout a day.” Bobby grunts. “Give or take a few hours.” He adds with a shrug. “She did not take it as well as you are.” He admits as he scratches the back of his head, his eyes studying Dean.

Castiel chuckles sardonically. “Has she ever?” He asks as he eyes Dean curiously.

“What is she doing meditating in the middle of this?” Dean asks as he looks from Lilly to Bobby in confusion. 

“Told ya, she didn’t take it as well.” Bobby gruffs with a shrug of his shoulder. 

“Ah.” That made sense. This was something Lilly did when she felt overwhelmed. “Okay then. What’s the plan? We have a plan right?”

Bobby and Castiel share a look, before they both shake their heads. 

“Not really.” Bobby admits. “We still don’t know why ya jits are here, or how long.”

“My thoughts are Zachariah wanted you to see how things panned out when ya don’t say yes to Michael.” Castiel offers with a thoughtful tilt of his head. 

“He said something like that. Told me to marinade in this.” Dean rolls his eyes. 

Castiel nods. “No fuckin’ idea why she’s here though. It’s not like she has much of a choice one way or another, unless he’s thinking she’ll talk ya into lettin’ Michael in.” He shrugs.

“I guess he doesn’t know Lilly that well then. She’d never want me to say yes.” Dean shakes his head as he turns back to watch Lilly again.

“There are other possibilities as well.” Castiel shrugs. “Michael was not a fan of her. They may have taken this as an opportunity to just dump her somewhere in hopes of it changing her attitude. It would be risky but…” His eyes narrow in thought as he trails off for a moment. “They do not enjoy insubordination. The risk might’ve been worth her obedience.” 

Dean shakes his head, appalled by the idea. “And what? If she died she died? What if he couldn’t find her again?” 

Castiel shrugs. “Then it wouldn’t be their fault if she just up and disappeared, with her conjoined souls it would be easy to claim that a mistake was made and she was lost...”

“And the prophecy? The whole reason we’re all in this mess?” Dean ask as he throws his hands in the air in disgust. 

“I’m sure there are contingency plans. It’s not like many angel’s have personally met Samara Lilly, it would be easy to scoop up any human and scramble them enough so they claim to be her.” 

“What. The. Fuck. Cass, they can, could-,” Dean shakes his head in disbelief before he rubs his bruised jaw, “In my time they can do that?”

Castiel shrugs. “It wouldn’t be difficult.”

“Then what’s the big fucking deal? Why does it have to be them?”

Castiel shrugs. “I’m not sure. We were never sure. I was a grunt. They were never even assigned to Michael or Lucifer in the prophecy, but then you all got marked. And it would have been… Problematic to switch after that.” he frowns before he continues, “But, according to the prophecy, it had to be them.” 

“Ya think?” Dean rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath. This was getting him nowhere but angry. 

“Well I’m not sure.” Castiel shrugs. “It’s been nothing but speculation for a couple a years now…”

“Cass here managed to find a few books on the prophecy, but the best we could ever come up with was the fact that archangels couldn’t mate with just any human the way other angels could. What makes it have to be Mae and Lilly is what they are. Mae’s half Fae and Lilly has the ability to withstand the energy of two souls. Apparently it means they’re strong enough to bear such powerful children.”

Castiel nods. “So, I mean yeah, easier if they just accepted their fate, but I’m sure Michael would be willing to experiment until they found someone that could bear his prodigy in Lilly’s place. If that’s what’s happening here, then it appears that your timeline is already different than ours.”

Dean takes a deep breath and shakes his head. “And you're completely grounded?” He asks Castiel with a frown. He just needed to find a way to get them both back. 

“Yeah. Sorry man, no dice on the wings.” Castiel shakes his head and crosses his arms in front of his chest.

Dean nods and turns to Bobby. “Any books, man? Maybe we can find a ritual or something...”

“Most of ‘em are gone. My house was raided after Lilly was taken. They destroyed my library in the process. Most of my back ups are gone too, damn government was droppin’ bombs on cities. And then travel became something of a problem when the virus became a pandemic.” Bobby gruffs. “If we found a workin’ plane and enough gas, we could head to Japan, but to be honest we don’t even know if it’s still there.”

“What about Thoth?” Dean asks, at this point he was desperate enough to trust Lilly’s gods.

“Dead. Maat as well. They tried to rescue our Lilly.” Castiel admits with a frown, his eyes dropping to the ground.

“Holy shit. We were really the only three to make it?” Dean lets out a heavy sigh as he sinks into a chair. Sammy, Mae, Lilly, her gods. All he had left was Bobby and Castiel. “This is fucking awful.”

Castiel and Bobby share a long look over Dean’s head. Bobby frowns and tilts his head to Lilly. Castiel sighs and nods.

“Eh-” Castiel sighs. “Sam and Mae…” He clicks his tongue.

“Yeah, I know. They died in detroit. Sam went to rescue Mae with Lilly and Michael showed up-”

“That’s what you tell yourself.” Bobby sighs with a shake of his head.

“That’s not what actually happened.” Castiel exhales.

“What do you mean? What actually happened?” Dean looks between the two men. “Did I lie to myself?”

“Oh like that’s anything new.” Bobby grunts. “He said yes. ‘Parently that one-” He nods to Lilly. “And Sam had a plan the rest of us knew nothin’ bout. They failed. Sam said yes. Michael took Lilly. That’s all we know.”

“So Sam…” Dean stands up and paces. “Lucifer is in Sam and he has Mae…”

Castiel and Bobby both nod. 

“Yeah. She used ta contact Cass, but after Lilly…” Bobby shakes his head. 

“Haven’t heard from her since.” Castiel confirms with a frown, as he crosses his arms over his chest.

They’re interrupted at a hurried knock at the door, before Chuck races in. “He’s back!” He calls out as he looks around. He freezes when his eyes land on Dean. Fear flashes across his features. “Uh, uh, that is to say- Dean, leader. Hi...” He greets as he shifts nervously. 

“Hey Chuck.” Dean greets, too startled to respond any other way.

Bobby curses. “Already?” He asks as his eyes sweep over Chuck. 

“Calm down man, this is oh nine Dean.” Castiel walks over and claps Chuck on the back “We got a set here.”

Chuck’s hand comes over his heart. “Oh thank god. “He sighs in relief. “But they’re back.” He rushes out, his eyes landing on Lilly. “So you should…” He pauses his face pulling into a grimace. “Cuff her or-” 

Bobby shakes his head. “No. I ain’t cuffing her up again. I told her I’d keep her safe.” He walks over and shakes Lilly. “I’m getting her out of here.”

Castiel shakes his head. “Dude, maybe we should think about that.”   
Bobby glares at Castiel. “I’ve understood having a cause Cass. But if he has the colt, he is going to go kill Sam and Mae and the kids.”

“I’m sorry, I’m what now?” Dean demands in disbelief.

Castiel clicks his tongue. “They aren’t the same Dean.” 

“How the hell would you know? You said Mae stopped contacting you.” Dean argues, unable to believe that any version of himself would be okay with slaughtering his family. And kids? What the fuck was future him’s problem?

“She hasn’t been the same for a while.” Castiel frowns.

“She’s still family. He’s my brother. What the fuck?” Dean shakes his head, his brow drawn up in concern. “Are you two really okay with this?”

Castiel wrinkles his nose. “No, we’re not, but we weren’t leaving you. And you’re you. You don’t win arguments with you, Dean.”

“What the fuck is my problem?” Dean asks in a huff as he runs his hands through his hair.

“Bad parenting.” Chuck offers with a half shrug.

“Thanks Chuck.” Dean rolls his eyes as he walks over to help Bobby rouse Lilly.

“Lilly, ya gotta wake up.” Bobby grunts as he gives Lilly a good shake.

“Lilly? Hufflepuff wake up we gotta go.” Dean kneels in front of Lilly.

Castiel rolls his eyes and walks over, pushing Dean out of the way before he crouches down to smack Lilly in the face. “Wake up!”

Lilly’s eyes shoot open as she jumps to her feet and looks around alert. When her eyes land on Dean she takes a step back. “I’m still fuckin’ here, ya need to back the fuck off.” She snaps as she crosses her arms defiantly.

“Whoa whoa whoa. Oh nine me.” Dean quickly assures her from the ground with his hands up defenselessly. 

Lilly lifts a brow as she looks over him, stopping when they reach his bright green eyes. “Fuckin’ thank gods. Okay-” She sighs, lowering her guard. “What’s going on?” She asks confused. 

“We can talk later. Apparently I’m back and we need to leave.” Dean stands and looks around the room.

“Heard.” Lilly nods. “We should do that.” She agrees as she steps closer to Dean.

“I’m coming with ya.” Bobby nods as he moves off to grab a bag he’d already packed.

Lilly looks over to Bobby, and can’t help the frown on her lips. “Are you sure?” 

“Don’t be dumb jit.” Bobby gruffs as he shoulders the bag.

“I’m coming too.” Castiel affirms. “You two are much more reasonable.”

“Right.” Chuck nods. “I’m out. Didn’t see anything. Didn’t hear anything. Imma lie the fuck outta this. Good luck.” He adds before he quickly slips back out the door. 

“So, what now?” Dean asks as he pulls Lilly closer to him.

“Hi, I’m Bobby Singer, paranoid hunter. And it’s the end of the fucking world. You think I don’t have a contingency plan?” Bobby rolls his eyes and walks over to the bathroom.

Lilly smiles at Bobby’s tone. “Great. Let’s talk about plans on the way then.” She says as she shifts with nervous energy. 

“Ya coming?” Bobby asks as he lifts a trap door in the closet of the bathroom, before he heads down the steps of the ladder. 

“Cool.” Castiel smiles as he follows after Bobby.

Dean looks at the trap door and groans before he looks at Lilly.

Lilly looks down after Castiel watching as the darkness consumed him, fear gripping at her chest.

Dean grabs Lilly by the shoulders and turns her away from the hole to look into his eyes. “Lilly, look at me!” He whispers to her.

Lilly looks up at Dean with a frown. “I can’t.” She whispers her entire body already trembling.

“Do you trust me to keep you safe and not let anything happen to you?” He asks with his heart in his throat. He didn’t want to do this, hated that this was probably the only way he could do this; but he also knew he couldn’t just walk her out the front gate.

“That’s not fair.” Lilly frowns as she backs away slowly. “I can just distract too far gone Dean. I’ll be fine.”

“I love you Lilly. And I’m going to do whatever it fucking takes to get us home.” Dean lets out a sigh as he reaches out and pulls her amulet over her head. “Lilly stop.” He barks.

Lilly stops; her heart beating hard in her chest as she looked at Dean, with disbelief.

“Breath.” Dean orders.

“Jit’s! Hurry up.” Bobby hisses from the tunnel.

“Lilly can’t. I’ve gotta use the amulet.” Dean calls back to them.

Curses great that response. “Great.” 

“Dean, you’ve gotta activate it!” Castiel calls up at them. “Samara Lilly Ahems Samira!” He yells after a moment.

“Right.” Dean nods before he turns back to Lilly. “Samara Lilly Ahmes Samira. Breath!”

Lilly takes a deep breath, and looks up and Dean with fear.

Dean takes a deep breath. “Lilly, don’t argue with me. Shut your eyes.”

Lilly shuts her eyes at the command, her heart still beating hard against her chest, her mouth snapping shut, the words on her lips instantly dying.

Dean walks over to her and picks her up, tucking her head into his chest. “Keep your head here and eyes shut babe. I’ll keep you safe. Just wrap your arms around my neck and let me get us out of here.” He tells her, waiting for her to follow his instructions. When he’s sure she’s secure he sighs, and pockets the amulet before he starts down the ladder, shutting the trapdoor behind him; the space around them instantly consumed by darkness. “Believe me, everything is okay.”

Castiel and Bobby nod once Dean reaches them at the bottom. The soft light of an old flashlight their showing the serious expressions, before Bobby turns and leads them through the tunnel.

Dean keeps one hand on the back of Lilly’s head as he runs, the other keeps her pressed to his chest. He hated himself for using the amulet against her; but after the way his future self had treated him, and knowing himself well enough to know he’d never want to lose Lilly, he knew they couldn’t stay. 

Lilly’s fingers dig into Dean’s jacket. She kept eyes shut tight as fear and terror grip her, making her shake in Dean’s arms. She could smell the musky scent of damp earth, and struggled to breath. She could feel her scream building in the back of her throat, the fear of being crushed, suffocated overwhelming as tears fell freely from her eyes. When she feels something wet hit the back of her neck, she can’t stop the cry of fear.

“I’ve got ya Lilly. But ya have to be quiet.” Dean adjusts her, holding her tighter to his chest.

“Just make her sleep, Dean.” Castiel sighs as he looks back to both of them.

“Lilly, go to sleep.” Dean doesn’t even think about it, he just tries and hopes it works. He could feel her shaking and felt shitty for making her do this anyway. She was never going to trust him again. He lets out sigh of relief when she goes slack in his arms.

48

Lilly’s eyes widen as she gasps into wakefulness, fear and adrenaline still pumping through her as she starts struggling. Images of suffocation and being held captive race through her mind when she’s met with something restraining her. The sudden light blinds her, fueling her confusion as she tried to place where the fuck she was and what was happening. A litany of multilingual curses leaving her lips about shitty situations and what she would do to do to the people touching her.

“Lilly. It’s okay babe.” Dean assures her as he grabs one of hands. “We’re out of the camp and in a jeep, driving... somewhere.”

Castiel turns around in the front seat and looks Lilly over. “Here kid, have a blunt. You sound like you need it.” He holds out a bag and a lighter for her.

Lilly blinks, instantly freezing when everything hits her. A blush sweeps across her cheeks and down her neck when she remembers what was happening and goes slack in her seat. “Ah.” She looks down at her hand in Dean’s, then over to Castiel and the offered drugs, before they land on Bobby driving. “I’m good, thanks Cass.” She breathes out sheepishly. 

“You sure? That was a lot of threats. I’d personally like to keep my extremities from being ripped off and shoved up my ass.” Castiel smiles as he continues to offer her the bag.

Lilly looks down her blush quickly turning into hives, after she snatches the bag. “Drop it.” She grumbles. 

Dean shakes his head and lets Lilly’s hand go. “I put your amulet back.”

Lilly just nods.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. It needed to be done.” Lilly sighs as she looks at the contents of the bag as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world. 

“Doesn’t make it feel any better.” Dean admits with a sigh as he leans back into the seat and faces forward.

Lilly looks over at him, and reclaims his hand, squeezing it. “So, the plan?” She asks the car, hoping to effectively change the subject. She places the bag on her skirt, sighing as she gives up fighting the urge; her hand comes up and finds the amulet tucked back under her shirt.

“Well. We escaped. Yay us. Now we need to find a way to get you two back to your time.” Castiel looks up for a moment. “He has the colt and is looking for me.” He says after a moment with a frown on his lips.

“I bet he is.” Bobby grunts with a frown. 

“He wants to know where the hell you and Lilly went.” Castiel lets out a sigh.

Lilly chews her lip as she thinks about that. How much danger had they put Bobby and Castiel in? Did it matter? If they got back home, it wouldn’t… Okay time travel was confusing. “Well, he’s going to be busy with his master plan. He’s not going to just put that off to find us.”

Bobby lets out a sigh. “No. He’ll realise we’re gone when Cass doesn’t show up and he’ll just continue with the plan. Which won’t take him long. The entire camp is ready to go bust down Lucifer’s door and finally end this.”

Dean frowns at that. Was he really like that? Would he really pick killing Lucifer above finding Lilly. His nose crinkles in distaste. 

Lilly looks over at Castiel. “So, Cass… Can you tap?” She asks curiously. 

Castiel shrugs. “Don’t know, never tried after the angels sealed Heaven. Seemed stupid to hurt someone when it might not work.”

“Heard.” Lilly sighs as she looks over at Dean and studies him for a moment. He seemed lost in his thoughts. She frowns before she turns back to Castiel. “Wanna try?” She asks. 

Castiel turns around in his seat and eyes Dean for a moment before he looks to Lilly. “Even if it were to work, I wouldn’t be able to get you two back.”

“No, but you could go to Bobby’s base in Japan and check that out right?” Lilly asks.

“Maybe? I guess we won’t know if we don’t try.” Castiel slowly admits as his eyes flick back to Dean.

“I’m up for it, if you are.” Lilly offers. “It would atleast give us a starting point. Which, we currently don’t have.”

“Are you okay with this?” Castiel asks Dean.

Dean lets out a sigh. “Well, isn’t this turning into a ‘how much can Lilly take’ kinda day…” He sinks back into his seat.

Lilly shoots him a look of concern. “Do you have a better idea?”

“No, not really.” Dean let’s out another sigh. “It’s up to you though, I ain’t saying yes or no to this.” He’d already taken her free will away from her once today. Quota filled.

Lilly frowns. “Unless anyone had a better idea, I’m up for trying at least.” She sighs. “I don’t mind being the jumper cables to Cass…” She adds as she looks back to Castiel. She remembered his warning the last time. It was a dangerous game to play but they needed to get the fuck home. She had no idea what Zachariah had been thinking by dropping her and Dean off here, but she’d risk this over finding out. “Assuming yer up for it.” 

“If we’re gonna do this I suggest we pull over.” Castiel suggests as he turns to look at Bobby.

“Yeah. Sounds safest. We’ll hit a rest stop in a few miles we can use to get off the road.” Bobby nods as he speeds up.

49

Dean paces in circles. It had worked, Castiel and Lilly were now halfway across the damn planet looking for Bobby’s damn books while he and Bobby were left sitting on their hands. It had been difficult to watch, and Castiel had to try several times before he had actually been able to focus enough to get his hands into Lilly’s soul. It had been… Rough to watch, and left Lilly with several burn marks on her chest, but she had just kept insisting for him to keep going. Then he’d just taken her like a damn battery pack. He wasn’t sure he’d ever forget the glee on Castiel’s face when he had finally managed to zap some energy off her.

“Boy, yer gonna walk yerself inta a damn trench.” Bobby grunts from where he was leaning against the jeep. His eyes following Dean.

“Yeah well, what the hell am I supposed to do Bobby?” Dean asks as he turns to walk back over to Bobby.

“We could start thinking about the next step.” Bobby rolls his eyes. “If they get the books, if they don’t. He’s not gonna be able to bring em’ all back. It’s gonna take a bit to find any relating to time.”

Dean nods. Right, they needed to be thinking ahead, planning. “So Cass can’t take us back, even after tapping Lilly. And if they don’t get the books…”

“Then we’ll find somethin’ else.” Bobby shrugs. 

“What else is there?” Dean asks as he suddenly realises that he has no idea what’s left in the world.

“There are still demons. Witches.” Bobby shrugs. “We can start huntin’ down the ones that survived. And that aren’t working with Lucifer.” 

Dean nods. “Okay. So if we can’t research a way home, we’ll hunt a way home. Sounds like we got a plan.” He stops pacing as an awful idea occurs to him. “But what about you and Cass?”

“We’ll be back in oh nine, with no clue ya’ll even left.” Bobby shrugs. 

“No, I mean this you and this Cass. What the fuck are you two gonna do?”

Bobby face palms. “If ya figure somethin’ out then, ya don’t have ta worry bout us now. It’s how it works. It’s stupid an’ complicated an’ that’s why it shouldn’t be fucked with.” He gruffs. “It’s a damn headache.”

Dean nods again, not entirely sure he believed that was how it worked. Was this simply the future, or had the angels come up with an even more wacked out plan? Was there something more fucked up than time travel? Bobby was right. This was a headache. “Goin’ inta the past is easier to navigate.”

Bobby frowns at that. “The fact that ya have the ability to compare the two…” He shakes his head. He suddenly looks back to the road, cursing.

Dean turns as well as he hears the sound of cars approaching, quickly counting six. “Shit. Is that-?”

“Yep. We’ve already been seen, no use trying ta outrun you.” Bobby groans, going silent for a moment. “Zachariah came an’ took Lilly. I went lookin’ for her with Cass an’ we ran into you.” He finally tells Dean. “We brought ya with us cause we couldn’t very well just leave ya to wander the camp. Cass wandered off into the woods, feelin’ somethin’ but told us to stay.”

“Right… think it’ll work?” Dean squares his shoulders and crosses his arms in front of his chest.

“Best I got.” Bobby shrugs. “Jus’ be convincin’ or we’ll end up on yer table.” He adds with a grunt.

Dean turns and looks at Bobby with wide eyes. “Are you fucking serious? I’m torturing again?”

Bobby just nods with a grave expression coloring his face. He sweeps his eyes over the benches where Castiel and Lilly had left and gives a deep sigh.

“I really hope they don’t come back soon.” Dean admits as he turns to face the approaching vehicles. 

“I gave Cass a quick run down.” Bobby gruffs. 

They wait in silence as one truck pulls up next to them. “What the fuck happened Bobby? I told you to fucking watch Lilly.” TFG Dean grumbles as he steps out.

Bobby frowns. “Zachariah happened.” He tells him. “Came in and left without so much as a word.” 

TFG Dean takes a deep breath and sighs before he turns to look at Dean. “And what the fuck are you doing out?”

Dean bristles. “Like I was gonna fuckin’ stay in the cabin?”

“Cass and I ran into him while Cass was followin’ the grace he felt. We figured we couldn’t leave another you wandering around so we dragged him with us.” Bobby shrugs before he gestures with his thumb over his shoulder to the woods. “Cass told us to stop here and headed into the woods. Haven’t heard from him for about an hour now.”

TFG Dean’s eyes narrow as he looks around the rest stop, before he stops on Dean. “And you just listened to him?”

“They told me more than you did.” Dean glares. “Why the fuck wouldn’t I listen to Bobby and hippy Cass?”

TFG Dean’s gaze turns to Bobby. “What the fuck did ya tell him?”

“Told him we were searching for Lilly, his Lilly.” Bobby shrugs. “Also filled him in a bit more about how crazy the last few years have been.”

“Great.” TFG Dean curses. “Well, you’re both coming for the ride then.”

Bobby nods and walks towards TFG Dean. “We should leave the truck for Cass in case he finds Lilly.”

“No, fuckin’ stoned idiot shouldn’t have wandered off.” TFG Dean growls as he signals for the other cars to go. “You two are comin’ with me.”

“Yep.” Bobby doesn’t argue, just gets in the truck.

“You’re gonna fucking leave Cass and possibly Lilly out here?” Dean argues, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He knew they didn’t need the truck anymore, but still, he felt like he would be arguing this is Castiel really was out there looking for Lilly.

TFG Dean turns his glare to Dean. “Are you questionin’ me?” He barks.

“Well yeah, guess I-”

“Get the fuck in the truck.” TFG Dean growls as narrows his eyes at Dean, his eyes glinting with challenge.

“Dean, get in the fucking car.” Bobby snaps.

“Awesome… Fucking awesome.” Dean shakes his head as he joins the two. What the fuck else could he do?

50

“Uh oh.” Castiel tilts his head to the side as he looks around.

“Uh oh what?” Lilly asks as she looks over to Castiel worried. “If it’s more fuckin’ bot’s I don’t wanna hear it.” She growls. Japan was fucking insane. They had machine gun droids and croats everywhere. It was like the worst anime ever. She drags her hand through her hair. Everything fucking hurt and the whole trip had been a gods damn waste of time. Apparently the US hadn’t been the only country to resort to droppin’ bombs in hopes of stopping the croats. Bobby’s base here had also been destroyed. Crazy ass fuckin’ goverments. 

“Uh oh Dean and Bobby got picked up by the caravan on the way to the mission.” Castiel grimaces.

Lilly groans as she hangs her head back to glare at the sky. “Of course they did.”

“I mean, good news. Dean didn’t kill ‘em on sight.” Castiel gives her a small smile.

“It’s always the little things.” Lilly rolls her eyes.

“Bobby managed to come up with a pretty convincing story about ol’ Zachy taking ya and I went nuts trying to find you.” Castiel opens the door behind them and rushes Lilly in ahead of him.

“Awesome. So what do we do?” Lilly asks as she looks over the angel. He wasn’t looking much better than her. She was guessing drugs and grace probably weren’t the best mix, and he’d barely held the energy long enough to get them here.

Castiel leans up against the wall and slowly slides to the ground. “There’s nothing here either, it looks like a bomb went off in here.” He groans and lets his head fall back against the wall.

“I noticed the theme.” Lilly nods. “How ya holdin’ up?” She asks as her eyes sweep over him.

“I’m not keeping the charge like I use to.” Castiel snorts. “It’s like my grace is rusty or something.”

Lilly can’t help the smile that tugs at her lips. “This is hopeless. We should just go and try to get back to the others… I don’t want TFG findin’ them in a lie.”

Castiel shakes his head. “No can do Lillster. Ain’t no way I can hit a moving target like that right now.”

“Can’t we head them off?” Lilly asks.

“Head. Them. Off.” Castiel shakes his head before he looks back up at her. “You know where they’re going right?”

“You know it’s all of our futures on the line right? I don’t even wanna think about that paradoxical nightmare if TFG kills my Dean in a fit of neurotic rage.”

Castiel lets out a long sigh. “I don’t know the way they plan to travel to get to Lucifer and Mae.” He lets out another sigh. “But I do know where they’ll end up. I could go talk to my brother or something…”

“I ain’t lettin’ yer ass talk ta satan on yer own.” Lilly glances down at him thoughtfully her face pulling in distaste at the thought. “If that’s where they’re headin’ I’m goin’ with.”

Castiel slowly pulls himself up. “You really aren’t gonna like this.”

“Oh, Crush, I haven’t liked any of this.” Lilly sighs as she runs a hand through her hair. “But I ain’t alright sendin’ you in there on your own. It’d be a death run.”

“How are you holding up? We’ve already had to jump three times.” Castiel shakes his head as he looks her over. “You have to be in some pain. I wish you’d let me try’n heal ya.”

Lilly smiles at his concern but shakes her head. “That would be counter productive. You can barely hold the energy as is. I’ll live bud. S’nothin’ I haven’t had to deal with before.”

Castiel rolls his eyes. “I’ve never burned you before.”

Lilly blinks, a blush sweeping over her face. “No. But, I wasn’t-” She shakes her head.Her ass hurt so much more than the burns on her chest. “They’re only second degree. It’s not debilitating.” 

“If you’re sure then.” Castiel places one hand on her shoulder. “You ready?”

Lilly nods. “Go for it Crush.” She assures him as she clenches her jaw shut, the increasingly familiar burning pain coming almost instantly after her go ahead.

51

“What do ya mean you don’t have a plan?!” Lilly hisses between clenched teeth.

“What? You seemed down with it when I suggested it. I thought you had a plan.” Castiel shakes his head before he runs his hands through his hair.

“I thought you had some type of accord with him.” Lilly glares at the wayward stoner in annoyance. “Did ya think ya could just smoke a peace pipe with satan?”

“I do still have my pot, didn’t bring a pipe though… You think that would work?” Castiel pats his pockets as if making sure he didn’t have a hidden pipe.

Lilly’s glare narrows. “No.” 

Castiel drops his hands to his sides. “Oh.” He lets out a deep sigh. “Well uh. I could try appealing to Mae.”

Lilly rubs her temple. “I don’t like this.”

“I did say you weren’t going to like it.” Castiel shakes a finger at her. “Not feeling wrong right now.”

“Semantics Crush. I didn’t know you were goin’ in full retard. I thought you had a plan.” Lilly snaps in irritation.

“I made sure we weren’t too close to the house.” Castiel defends himself.

Lilly takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. “Okay.” She thinks as she rubs her temples. “What are the chances Lucifer felt that shift of power?”

Castiel shrugs. “I used up most of it getting us here. And the house is about a mile away. I don’t think he felt it, unless he was out for a walk in the woods. But I don’t feel him either.”

“Well we need to come up with something quick.” Lilly frowns. “Any updates from my Dean or Bobby?” 

“They’re about four hours out. Fearless leader isn’t being to forth coming with details yet. So we have no way to intercept him.” Castiel looks around as he sticks his hands in his pockets.

Lilly nods. “Okay. So we have some time...” She trails off as she thinks about it. She didn’t know much about Sam or Mae in this future short of them having children. She knew next to nothing about Lucifer. She really didn’t have enough to go off of. She sighs. “Alright. I think you’re right. Mae’s going to be the easiest to appeal to.”

“Right.” Castiel takes his hands out of his pockets and watches her carefully. “How are we appealing?”

“Well, I caught you off guard right?” Lilly asks.

“Very.” Castiel nods.

“Then, unless Zach’s workin’ with Luci, they probably don’t know I’m here.” Lilly sighs. “That fact is either going to help us, or hurt us… Do you know what my relationship with Mae was like before I died?”

“You two hadn’t seen each other since she was taken.” Castiel rubs one hand over his face. “But I know she risked everything trying to rescue you. Though she was mad that you chose to leave her rather than go with her.”

Lilly nods with a frown on her lips. Why was nothing ever fucking easy? If Mae was holding a grudge this could get nasty. “Do banishing wards still affect you?” 

Castiel shrugs. “I dunno. Do we really wanna piss Lucifer off though?”

Lilly frowns at him. “Are you seriously stoned enough to go knock on Lucifer’s door with zero contingency plans?”

“Good point. Should we try it out?”

Lilly frowns. “Where did you use to end up when they were used?”

“Far away, but somewhere on earth. It always took a bit to recover from it.” Castiel explains with a shrug.

“Then, I’m not sure that’s even an option on the table…” Lilly sighs. 

“If it comes down to needing it, I guess it would be better for you to use it.”

Lilly shakes her head. “No, if I go in there and banish Samifer there’s no way Mae’ll listen to me. I don’t think I can hurt Mae if it comes down to it. The best I’ve got on her is salt.” She frowns, her eyes narrowing in thought. She was about to face so much shit she had zero interest in facing. From Samifer, to what she was sure was about to be a TFG Mae, children- Gods her children. She winces a little at the thought, her conversation with Ahmes was still fresh in her mind. The priestess she shared a body with had been absolutely adamant that no harm should become the children. She’d even gone as far as threatening to kill TFG Dean. “What do you know about Lucifer and Mae?”

Castiel takes a deep breath. “Mae’s different, sure, but-” He watches her for a moment as if weighing something before he continues. “She got pregnant right after Lucifer took her. She fought him a lot at first. Tried to run away a few times, called out for help when she figured out where she was. He was always a step ahead of us though. I never managed to get to her in time. She use to pray to me constantly, especially the first year.” He pauses as he looks away, his eyes distant and sad.

Lilly looks over Castiel with a frown as she steps forward and takes his hand, squeezing it. “Dude, I’m sorry. I know it’s rough to talk bout this, but walkin’ in blind is gonna get us both killed.”

“Yeah, I know.” Castiel wipes at his eyes before he turns back to her. “Lucifer had her three months before Sam and you went to try and get her on your own. Sam said yes. Michael took you. It broke her heart when Lucifer showed up in Sam, and of course he told her that Michael had you. She cried for weeks.”

Lilly takes a deep breath, but waits for Castiel to continue.

“She had a boy first. I listened to her the whole time she was in labor.” Castiel shakes his head. “It was awful, I don’t think she even realised she was praying. She was mostly just screaming.”

Lilly shifts in discomfort. None of this was particularly helpful, but she couldn’t bring herself to point that out. It was like the proverbial train wreck.

“She started changing after that. She makes a good mom, but I think Lucifer was doing something to her. Her prayers got fainter and darker. She brightened up a bit when she got pregnant again. It became a pattern after a while. She was fine, almost herself when she was pregnant, but then she’d start feeling strange. She started talking like Sam and Lucifer were one person, and talked about how he made a great father. She would hope that we were safe, and I could feel guilt and sorrow behind the thoughts. I know she was making deals with Lucifer to keep us safe. And he held to them.” Castiel shakes his head and looks away again. “She stopped praying to me all together after the failed rescue attempt. The last thing she said to me was there was nothing else she could do. She didn’t have anything left to give.”

Lilly’s frown deepens as a shiver runs down her spine. She gives Castiel’s hand one last squeeze before she drops it and begins pacing. Her mind ruthlessly ripping through his words to find anything of use. She couldn’t be emotional over it. Couldn’t afford to. She was going to be protective of the children, they both were. You didn’t call someone a sheath, and then not give a fuck about the product right? That would be stupid. “What if we warn them?” She asks as her eyes sweep over Castiel.

“Warn them about Dean coming to kill them?” Castiel asks as he slowly turns back to look at her.

“Yeah, at least that way we can hopefully pull the children and Mae- I’m assuming she’s pregnant, from this whole mess. Focus our attention on getting Samifer to help us. It’s not going to be easy, but when the fuck is it ever?” Lilly asks as her eyes sweep over Castiel curiously.

Castiel nods his head. “It, it could work. I could offer myself to help protect Mae and her children. I mean, it wouldn’t even be a lie. I never wanted Dean to kill them. Mae loves those kids.”

Lilly frowns as she thinks about it. This whole situation was ludicrous, so why the fuck not just go with it? “Alright. Let’s go try to appeal to Satan and Mae. At the very least we can get her and the kids out.”

“Lucifer.” Castiel corrects her. “Mae said he doesn’t like being called devil or satan.”

Lilly nods. “Heard.” She wrinkles her nose slightly. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Her eyes scan over Castiel. “Do you want to go in as is…”

Castiel nods. “It would be best. If I’m going to offer myself up I’m going to have to pledge loyalty to him.”

Lilly nods in understanding. She didn’t like going in completely defenseless, but she really didn’t see a way around it. The last thing they needed was to come off as a threat.

“Well, lead the way. I think the driveway is still here somewhere.” Castiel nods towards her before he starts to search for the entrance.

Lilly nods as she looks around for the drive in confusion, and starts walking down the path that seemed the cleanest when she realizes she had zero clue on where they were going. He’d just popped them into the woods and asked her to lead.

“Here it is.” Castiel announces as he walks away from her.

“Wha-” Lilly asks as she turns to look at him in confusion. “Oh, cool you found something.”

“Yeah, I found your driveway.” Castiel shrugs. “Unless you don’t want to walk.”

“My driveway?” Lilly asks as she begins following him. “Did I buy a house all hermit style or something?”

Castiel frowns at her. “We’re at Mystic.”

Lilly looks around in confusion. “Oh…” She clicks her tongue. “You’d think they’d take better care of the lawn.”

“It’s only one of several houses they use.” 

“Heard.” Lilly nods as she starts heading in the direction Castiel had pointed in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sounds like our Baker right? Head first into danger with only half baked notions. Anyways, we'll be back next Sunday with a new chapter. Leave us a comment to let us know what you think. Lots of love!


	22. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel and Lilly come face to face with a twisted Mae, and Lilly meets the shadows of things that may be.

52

Lilly hesitantly scans Mystic over with a frown, feeling an odd sense of dread at the familiar house, though it was not in a state she would have ever allowed it to fall to; it had been overrun with vines and ivy. It wasn’t in disrepair… But it didn’t look well cared for either. She had an odd feeling that this was her first clue nothing about the ensuing conversations was going to be enjoyable. If TFG Dean was the rule, Mae certainly wasn’t going to be the exception. She glances over at Castiel as she brushes the dead leaves off her skirt. “Ready Crush?” She asks with a frown.

“Are you?” Castiel asks as he looks down at her, appearing just as apprehensive as she was.

“I s’pose it doesn’t matter.” Lilly frowns as she notices movement behind them. “We’ve been spotted.” She sighs as she holds her head up high and walks to the door with a confidence she didn’t feel. 

Castiel takes a deep breath and strides confidently to the front door, only to ruin the look with a light, apprehensive knock.

Lilly rolls her eyes before she pushes past him and firmly knocks on the door.

“I could’ve done that.” Castiel pouts as he looks down at her.

“Could you?” Lilly asks as she glances at him from the corner of her eyes. She schools her face into a calm, but stoic, expression, once more thanking Regina. If nothing else, the woman had drilled the pretenses of masks into her like it had been a science. She couldn’t help the slight smile that accompanies the bitter sweet thought. 

The door is suddenly swung open and they find themselves staring at Mae. A thinner, paler, poor imitation of vibrancy that had once been Mae.

Lilly can’t help her inward shrinking. Her short, pure white sundress washed out her pale limbs and face. Her hair hung in long waves around her face, framing her far to dark eyes. Lilly’s stomach turns as her eyes sweep over Mae’s abdomen, swollen from pregnancy, before they come back up to rest on haunted viridian eyes. The spark Lilly had spent the majority of her life protecting was completely gone. She looked ill, though whether that was from her current condition or not, Lilly really couldn’t tell; it hurt to take in nonetheless.

“Hey Mae. It’s been a long time.” Castiel greets her with a small smile.

“Hey, Harps.” Lilly greets with a forced smile. “You’re lookin’ like…” She pauses and shakes her head. “Hi.”

Mae’s eyes jump from Castiel’s face to Lilly’s and back several times before she lets out a sigh. “I really thought we were pass this.” Her eyes linger over Lilly’s face as she bites her lower lip. “I’m too tired for more games.” She admits softly as she leans against the door frame.

Lilly’s eyes narrow slightly at the implication. “If you’re tired maybe you should go lie down, and not answer doors. Where’s Samifer. Can we talk to him?”

Castiel nods, his eyes drawn up with worry.

“Samifer? Oh, that’s cute. Very Lilly. You’re getting better at this Lucifer.” Mae shakes her head before she pushes herself up and crosses her arms above her belly.

Lilly frowns at that. “Sorry ta say this ain’t a game. Zach dropped me off in this shit hole.”

Mae lets out a hollow, brittle laugh. “What, no foreplay on this? Just straight to killing then? How unlike you.” She sighs as she brings her hands up slowly, as if pulling up on imaginary strings.

Lilly shoots a look to Castiel before she looks back to Mae. “I hated you when we first met. Avoided you like the plague. Made you cry constantly. You talked too much. But you were persistent. You liked me because I didn’t like you. You were a popular little princess, but when Melanie kept pulling on your hair, and you cried… I punched her in the face. She got a detention.” 

Mae freezes at Lilly’s words. “I thought you got detention.” She asks as she narrows her eyes.

Lilly shakes her head. “I got suspended. We were in fifth grade. Regina gave me hell, until she found out it was because I was protecting the Carlson girl. Quickest she ever changed her attitude.”

“And then my mom invited you over after school.” Mae continues as her eyes slide over Lilly again, as if she were searching for imperfections.

“And Regina forced me to go.” Lilly smiles. “I treated you like shit. River was super confused. Tony thought it I was good for you.” She pauses. “You had to stop going by Lizzy… Because I thought we were dating.”

“And everyone at school started calling us Lilly and Lizzy the lezzies after I gave you a book for christmas.” Mae’s lips tug into a small smile. “You got upset because you didn’t know what to do for me, so you kissed me.”

“By the lockers.” Lilly blushes at the embarrassing memory. “River encouraged it. Regina hated it. Tony explained to me the difference, but he let me know he encouraged it if it’s how we really felt… He gave me so many books on the different types of love... It was embarrassing.”

Castiel looks between the two girls with a small smile. “Awww, that’s adorable.” He chuckles as he shakes his head, “And explains so much. How ya doin’ Mae? Still planning to use the vines?”

Lilly tilts her head to look at Castiel in confusion, but catches something out of the corner of her eyes. She turns completely, blinking at the hundreds of sharp vines poised at their back. She nods before she turns around. “And you thought growing seeds was lame.” She smiles nervously at Mae. 

Mae gives her a smile that actually reaches her eyes. “I’m straight up poison Ivy bitch.” 

“I can be your Harley if ya let me....” Lilly says with a forced smile. This was terrifying.

“We could get into all the trouble…” Mae nods before her eyes darken again. “Except you’re dead. You said you hated me and told me to leave you the fuck alone. And then you died.”

“I would never!” Lilly growls before she stops herself. “You’re my sister.”

Mae crosses her arms in front of her belly and glares. “You said you were faking.”

Castiel quickly pulls Lilly to him, covering her mouth. “She’s from oh nine Mae. Zachariah dropped her here two days ago.”

Mae turns her cold glare to Castiel. “No angels can come here without Lucifer knowing. Everyone not working for him lost their grace. You of all, people, should know that.”

“Oh I do, broken bones suck.” Castiel sighs. “But none the less, it was Zachariah from then too. Had to be. He didn’t stay around to chat though I’m afraid.”

Mae turns her head away, her face lost in thought. “Then what are you doing here? You didn’t come help me save her, you left us. You all left me.” Her voice was rough, as if she was trying not to cry.

Lilly can feel Castiel tense, and his apprehension made her pause as she watches the interaction with curiosity.

“I couldn’t leave Dean alone Mae. I couldn’t. I’m sorry. When Sam and Lilly left with their plan- He was in a dark place… He lost all of you too.” Castiel sighs as he looks at her. “I heard every prayer. I’m sorry Mae.” He breathes out, genuinely sorry as he looks at Mae with sad blue eyes. 

Mae sighs. “It’s very strange to feel your emotions so clearly, but you still sound like a windchime.” She looks down at her belly before she slowly looks around and opens the door wider. She flicks her wrist dismissively, sending the vines to slither away. “Come in.” 

Lilly shudders at the snake like movement, shivering as she shifts in discomfort. She shrugs both it and off Castiel before she follows Mae inside. Castiel brings up the rear, following with more caution. 

“It’s been so long since he’s conjured up your images, I don’t care if this is a game or not anymore. I want to think you’re real. But- I just can’t trust myself.” Mae frowns as she slowly shuts the door.

Lilly frowns at that. “Fair. I was hopin’ this was an angel game when I got here.” She nods. “I played twenty questions with Bobby. Questions I knew the angel’s would’ve never bothered implanting in a… Whatever the fuck they do.” 

“I’m glad you started talking, I was just going to kill you.” Mae admits with a shrug as she turns for the kitchen. “It’s very painful to see you.”

“Good for you.” Lilly smiles at Mae nervously, ignoring Castiel’s glare of disapproval. “It’s painful to see you too.” She adds haltering when she hears children laughing in the distance.

“I’m here and still human, I would like to not die Lilly.” Castiel grumbles. “Can you keep it in check.” He hisses to her quietly.

“If you’re from the past, I guess I can see why.” Mae nods and rubs at her eyes. “Lunch is about to wrap up, and then I need to put the children down for naps. We can talk after that.”

Lilly nods. “Heard. Well we don’t wanna interrupt their schedules. Is Samifer around? It’s kind of important we talk to him...” 

“He got called away, but he’s never gone long. He’ll be back soon.” Mae narrows her eyes for a moment as her hands drop to cover her belly protectively. “Why can’t you talk to me?”

Lilly winces at the cold tone. “It’s not that I don’t wanna talk to you…” She says softly as her gaze slides down the hall to the kitchen doors, before they bounce back to Mae. “I just know you’re busy with other things.” She says her hands coming up defensively.

“It’s not easy taking care of twelve children alone.” Mae nods, her eyes sweeping over Lilly’s defenseless gesture.

“I can help.” Castiel offers with an easy shrug. “I wanna meet them.” He shooting Lilly an apologetic look. 

Mae’s eyes brighten. “You do?” She asks, her face warming with hope.

“Of course.” Castiel smiles. “I’m curious, I’ve always wanted to meet them. Though to be honest I don’t have much experience with children, but I like playin’ with them at the camp.” 

Mae smiles and reaches out to take Castiel by the hand. “I named one of my sons after you. He’s two now.”

Castiel beams. “Really?” He asks excitement in his tone. “Let’s go.” He says as he pulls Mae to the kitchen, forgetting Lilly. 

“Are you coming Lilly?” Mae calls over her shoulder.

“No.” Lilly shakes her head vehemently. “I’ll just wait here.”

“You can wait in Lucifer’s office if you want. I’ll come get you after the kids are down.” Mae offers, as she and Castiel disappear around the corner.

“Heard.” Lilly agrees as she heads to the den, hoping that’s where Lucifer had set up shop. She wasn’t disappointed. The whole den had been made so everything was white. The furniture, the walls, the rug, hell even the damned desk. It was nearly nauseating. She frowns as she looks down at her skirt and shirt before looking behind her for foot prints. She was filthy compared to this office. She lets out a deep breath and shakes her head before she plops down on the couch. Not her problem. This tacky ass office was awful. Though she supposed if you could just whiten it again with a snap of her fingers… Still no. 

She glances around the office, noticing all the differences, in hopes of gaining insight into Lucifer. Not one item seemed to be out of place. She couldn’t help but admire it. Control freak. She could respect that. She was pulled from her thoughts though as someone clears their throat. She jumps in surprise as her eyes sweep the room. Her heart stops in her chest. 

There were two children standing in the doorway. A little black haired boy that couldn’t be older than three or four standing next to a tiny version of Mae who looked no older than the boy. They stood together, hand in hand, just watching Lilly.

“Hi.” The little boy finally manages to break the silence. He stares up at her with wide, deep green eyes.

“Uh… Hi.” Lilly greets awkwardly as she stares at the boy in awe. How? She frowns. Dean hadn’t said yes. How the fuck did he share Dean’s eyes? How? What the fuck was this? It was painful to look at him, but she couldn’t tear her eyes off them. 

“My name is River, this is Ash.” River smiles as she introduces them. “Momma said she had a friend over and we wanted to meet you.”

Ash looks from Lilly to River and whispers in her ear. “Ash says he felt you coming.”

“Is that so?” Lilly asks in surprise. “You felt me?” She tilts her head to the side in confusion..

Ash nods solemnly before he slowly walks into the room to stand in front of her. He holds one hand up and touches her arm softly. “Ouch.” He says as he touches his own chest.

Lilly’s brow furrows in confusion. “Are you hurt?” She asks in concern as she slides off the couch slowly and kneels in front of him so she was at his level. Her eyes sweep over him carefully. Her hand shakily reaching out to touch him.

“No.” Ash shakes his head and puts his hand on her chest, just above her heart. “Ouch.” His eyes begin to shimmer with a silver light.

Lilly startles as she feels a warm energy build in her chest watching in awe as his hand glows slightly, the burns on her chest quickly healing before her eyes. It didn’t feel like Castiel’s. It was slower, but she was literally watching her skin regenerate. “Oh…” She breathes softly in surprise. 

“Better.” Ash nods, his little brow furrowed as he looks Lilly over. He gives her a smile.

“Thank you… Ash.” Lilly smiles her eyes burning slightly. “That’s a very special gift you have.”

“You’re welcome, you look like my old momma.”

Lilly flinches as if she had been hit, her eyes instantly dropping to the ground as she squeezes her eyes shut. That fucking hurt. She was going to kill Zachariah for this. She swallows as she forced a smile onto her lips. 

River runs forward and takes Ash by the hand. “Sorry. He’s a healer and he could feel your injuries. He didn’t mean to make you sad.” 

Lilly shakes her head, as she swiftly stomps down the painful emotion swirling through her, throwing it to the back of her mind and slamming the door shut. “No, I’m fine. Thank you very much. Sorry.” 

“Here. We’re sorry we bothered you.” River takes a dried flower from the pocket of her dress and holds it out on her palm. She scrunches her face up in concentration, her eyes shimmering with a silver green light, before the dried flower begins to shift.

Lilly watches in amazement as the Lilly blooms back to life in front of her. “Wow. Aren’t you both… Just amazing. How lucky your parents must be.” She smiles.

River smiles as she hands Lilly the healthy flower. “Momma keeps these on an alter upstairs in her friend’s closet. But we’re not suppose to go in there.”

Lilly cups the the flower gently one finger caressing the soft petal. “Thank you.” She says softly as she looks up from the flower to the two children. Her eyes a deep amber as she takes them both in. It was painful. These were the children TFG Dean wanted to kill? These two sweet little children. 

River frowns. “You’re still sad.”

“Am I?” Lilly asks with with a painful smile. “You know, not many can tell my emotions. It used to drive your mother up a wall.”

“Momma’s not part angel too.” River giggles. “That’s why I can tell silly.”

Ash nods before he turns to look at River. “Ouch.” He frowns at her.

Lilly frowns. “What’s wrong?” She asks with concern as she eyes the children curiously.

Ash tries to put his hand on River’s head but the little girl just takes his hand. “Ash is just protective. He doesn’t like headaches.”

“Oh.” Lilly’s eyes widen before she forces herself to move backwards. “Sorry River.”

“Ouch River.” Ash argues as he stamps his foot and glares at her.

Lilly raises her hand to her mouth to cover the look of amusement, even as the sight sent a knife through her heart. She wanted to hug him, he was so fucking adorable. They both were. River looked like a little image of Mae. And Ash… She closed her eyes. His temperament, his looks. It fucking tore at her. She didn’t even realize tears had started falling until River reached out and wiped them away. 

Ash grins mischievously, taking her distraction as an opportunity to heal her, his hand glowing as his little fingers bury in Rivers curls tenderly.

“River. Ash. You know better than to be in daddy’s office.” Mae lectures sternly from the doorway.

Lilly looks up at Mae, seeking guidance. She had no fucking idea what to do with this. It fucking hurt. She swallows as she brings one hand to her chest, a completely subconscious action, as she tried to quell the overwhelming emotions.

River flinches, removing her hand from Lilly as if the tears had burnt her; tears gather in her viridian eyes. Ash immediately pulls her away from Lilly and puts himself in front of her protectively, glaring at the woman in equal confusion. 

Mae tilts her head to the side as she watches Lilly before she turns to the two children. Her eyes widen for a moment before she looks away. “Come on you two, help me get the babies settled and we’ll forget all about it. Follow uncle Cass to the playroom.” She walks in and takes the two by the hands before she gently guides them to the door. “Momma needs to talk to the pretty lady.”

Ash and River nod as they walk out of the room. “Sorry Momma.” They both say before they rush off.

Lilly watches them disappear with a frown, before she looks back down at the vibrant purple Lily in her hand. What the fuck?

Mae sighs. “Sorry Lilly. You can’t take your eyes off them for a second.”

“It’s alright.” Lilly forces out, as she tears her eyes off the flower and looks up at Mae. “Thank you.” She adds softly as she forces herself to stand on shaking feet. She owed Mae so much. 

Mae tilts her head to the side. “They’re good kids. It was the least I could do.” She looks away as she wraps her arms around herself. 

Lilly’s eyes sweep over Mae and she frowns. There was so much she wanted to say, but she couldn’t find the words. What a painful fucking reminder. “How many?” She can’t stop herself from asking.

“Four. I named them Ash, Thoth, Maat, and Alice. Thoth and Maat are twins.” Mae says softly, still not looking anywhere but at Lilly.

Lilly nods. She really didn’t want to know why Mae had needed to name them. This was turning into a fucking worse nightmare than she’d ever imagined. She’d take her time with Vincent over this, any time. She wasn’t sure she’d ever experienced this type of pain before, it seemed to go bone deep. Her hand softly curls around the Lily, not wanting to crush it but no longer able to look at the bright reminder. “Thank you.” She repeats again. “You’re doing an amazing job, River and Tony would be proud of you.”

“I don’t have a choice.” Mae shakes her head. “I promised to be what Lucifer wanted me to be if he would go save you.”

Lilly shakes her head. “There is always a choice Mae.” She says softly. “You were always stronger than me.”

Mae shakes her head again. “Not for Fae. I have to keep my promises.”

“Or you die.” Lilly breathes out as she put pieces together. “Right?” 

“Right.” Mae whispers softly. Lilly can just make out the shine of tears falling down her cheeks.

“Then don’t diminish your decision.” Lilly frowns at her. 

“I fucked up Lilly.” Mae admits as she wipes her hands across her face.

“It would appear we all did.” Lilly sighs, as she runs a hand over her freshly healed chest. Her skin still warm beneath her fingers. “I won’t let anything happen to you, or them again. I won’t.” She says after another moment's silence, her eyes flashing with determination. Her mind reeling with the images of the two strikingly haunting children. 

Mae takes a deep breath and turns to face Lilly. “Cass said you needed to warn me about something. And he is offering to join Lucifer to help protect me.”

“I need you all to go to another of your safe houses. TGF Dean is on his way. You and the kids need to leave.” Lilly says sternly.

“TFG?” Mae tilts her head to the side in confusion.

Lilly winces. “Too far gone.” She admits. “I can jump start Cass. You can get the kids to safety.”

“Ah.” Mae frowns and shakes her head. “I… I can’t do that without talking to Lucifer first.”

Lilly frowns at that, as she slides the Lily beneath the cup of her bra, close to her heart. “Right. Okay. You said he’d be back soon?” She asks with a frown. 

“I’ve let him know you're here. He’ll rush whatever he’s doing to make it back sooner.” Mae shudders as she turns away from Lilly again.

Lilly nods. “Then it’s a waiting game.” She frowns. 

“I hate games.” Mae shudders again.

“So I’m hearing.” Lilly sighs as she crosses her arms and looks at Mae closer. “If I get back… I’m sorry I left everyone. Left Dean. Left… Them. You.” She runs her fingers through her hair. 

Mae shakes her head. “Michael was very… Michael hurt you, a lot. I tried to tell myself that you… That you couldn’t face the world again. But sometimes I get confused.”

“That’s no excuse.” Lilly looks to the perfectly white floor, before she looks up at Mae. It hurt. Dean, Bobby, Castiel, Amanda, Chuck… They had been, hard to swallow; but seeing Mae like this, looking at the children… She felt sick. “Go take care of your kids Mae. I’ll wait to talk to Samifer.”

“You should just call him Lucifer. He looks like Sam, but I haven’t seen Sam for years.” Mae’s voice hitches on Sam’s name.

Lilly winces at Mae’s tone and just nods. “Heard.” She sighs as she looks away. Lucifer had taken everyone from Mae, even Sam. Lilly couldn’t even imagine how deep the abuse ran, but it had been obvious at first glance that Mae had been twisted into someone else. There were still pieces. She could see that, and it only made her heart ache worse. Everything here was so confusingly fucking painful. It was like looking into funhouse mirrors. You could recognize the reflections, but they were just distorted, laughable caricatures of the family she loved. 

After a few silent moments Mae walks out of the office door.

Lilly sighs as she flops on the couch, her ass throbbing from her boots digging into what she was sure were bruises. She needed to stop TFG Dean. She needed to help her family. She needed to save them. She couldn’t even think about anything else, it was all consuming. She was pulled from her thoughts however when she feels a sudden burst of powerful grace. She instantly jumps to her feet, her eyes sweeping the room her muscles coiled beneath her skin.

“Lilly. How nice of you to visit my family.” Lucifer walks into the office, adjusting his white sports blazer before he takes a seat behind his desk. “I hear you’ve come a long way for this glimpse.”

Lilly’s eyes sweep over Sam, stopping when she gazes at the unfamiliar eyes burning into her own. “Lucifer.” She greets tersely. 

Lucifer smiles and leans back in his chair. “I hear you brought my wayward brother. I’m sure my Elizabeth was very, happy, to see you both.”

Lilly forces a smile on her lips. “She was, after we established we weren’t game pieces. I see that you’ve had fun with her.” 

Lucifer puts a hand over his chest. “You wound me with this accusations. I had to train Elizabeth to asses dangerous situations. I unfortunately can’t always be here to help keep her safe. We’ve had many threats on our lives.” He sits up and gives her an ironic smile. “Seems we’re not very popular with the locals.”

Lilly watches him closely, studying him. “Oh, I’m sure you only had her best interests in mind.” She finally states. 

“I always have my family’s best interest at heart. I had to prepare her for her family to try and kill her.” Lucifer shakes his head. “I’m not the one that made the threats. I believe that was Dean and his merry band of mercenaries.”

Lilly frowns, her vision blurring slightly as she narrows her eyes suspiciously. “Is that so?” She asks skeptically, as nausea stirring in her stomach. What was he doing to her? She locks her knees, as she continued watching him.

“My poor darling Elizabeth. She sacrificed everything to keep her family safe. Don’t get me wrong, she was a handful at first, but with time she eventually came to see things my way.” Lucifer’s eyes narrow slightly at Lilly. “But again, I never abandoned her or threatened to kill her.”

“No. I’m sure you didn’t. You were too busy tearing her apart, like you did with Lilith.” Lilly rolls her eyes, as she crosses her arms defiantly. She could feel blood rushing to her ears, and she felt something in her shift, push in warning. Ahmes. She must’ve felt it too.

Lucifer smiles darkly. “Maybe a little in the beginning, just to get her to stop fighting me and running. But really though, you and the rest of her family did an amazing job of tearing her apart for me.”

“Enough of the games Lucifer.” Lilly says sternly. “I’m not here to fight.”

“I agree.” Lucifer smiles again as he stands. “No more games. Why are you here?”

Lilly watches his movement cautiously, never allowing her eyes to stray from Lucifer. What the fuck was he doing to her? She frowns as she feels her knees hit each other. “I want my sister…” She begins sluggishly, as she struggles against the slowly encompassing fatigue, oblivious to the way her body swayed with weakness.

“What are you two doing?” Mae asks from the doorway. “Lucifer? Lilly?” She walks in to stand next to Lucifer, her eyes looking between the two of them in concern.

“Elizabeth, get to the children. She’s doing something to me.” Lucifer shouts as he leans forward over the desk.

Lilly opens her mouth to deny his claims, but ends up falling to her knees instead. The weakness was overwhelming. 

“Lilly?” Mae takes a step away from Lucifer, her eyes glued to Lilly. “Wha-” 

“Elizabeth! Do not go near her!” Lucifer shouts as he staggers towards her.

Mae shakes her head as she backs up further. “I- I’m sorry Lucifer. I can’t-” She bends over, grabbing her head as she screams. 

Lucifer grabs Mae by her arm. 

Lilly forces herself to her feet, fear for Mae pumping adrenaline through her as she staggers to her feet. “Don’t!” She groans the room spinning around her, as she holds her rebelling stomach. 

“Mae! Shhhh. Mae. It’s okay baby.” 

Mae looks up, her eyes startled over the bright red blood running down from her nose. “S-Sam?”

“It’s okay.” Sam whispers softly as he pulls Mae into his arms. “I’ve got you now.” He adds softly into her hair as she begins to sob against him. “He’s gone, for now.” He adds before his eyes swing to meet Lilly’s. “Thank you Lilly.”

“What?” Lilly breathes out, completely confused, as she falls again. “What’s happening.” She asks in confusion.

“Your ritual is working. I’m strong enough to contain him.” Sam smiles at her as he continues to support Mae.

Lilly blinks, feeling completely lost as she sways with exhaustion. 

“It’s amazing. You were right. I’m in complete control. I can’t even feel him fighting.” Sam buries his nose into Mae’s hair and breathes deeply. 

Lilly licks her dry lips as she stares at him in confusion as she struggles to make sense of what he was saying. What the fuck had she done? What the fuck had even happened? She felt like shit, and everything felt like it was going in slow motion. When she finally notices Sam’s not harming Mae, her legs fail her and she finds her face in the soft white carpet. 

Castiel burst into the room. “What’s going on?” He looks from Lilly on the ground to Sam holding Mae in his arms. “You're not Lucifer?”

Sam looks between Mae, Castiel, and Lilly in confusion. “No…” He says slowly. “Lilly’s spell worked.” He frowns. “Where are we?” 

Mae shakes her head and pulls away from Sam. “What is happening?”

Lilly groans as she forces herself to sit up and looks around in a daze. She suddenly feels herself picked up and finds Castiel staring down at her in concern and confusion, before she weakly asks what’s going on. Her words sluggish. 

Castiel lifts an eyebrow. “I’m trying to figure that out but I feel like I took some bad acid.”

Lilly nods as she leans her head against the forsaken angel’s chest.

Sam shakes his head as he tears his eyes from Mae’s belly. “I- This didn’t go according to plan did it?”

“Oh, the plan…” Castiel nods his head. “You guys actually had one. Huh.” He chuckles mirthlessly. “That’s unexpected…We thought for sure you were just sacrificing yourselves in attempts of rescuing Mae. ”

“Cass? What the hell happened to you?” Sam looks Castiel over in shock.

Castiel can’t help the laugh that leaves his lips. “We really don’t have time for this. Dean’s going to kill us all.” 

Sam’s eyes widen in surprise. “What?!”

Mae gasps, one hand going to her mouth before she turns to Sam. “Dean has been threatening to kill us and the children since Lilly died.”

“But, she’s right there…” Sam frowns. “What children? Dean ain’t killin kids.”

Lilly murmurs something to Castiel. 

Castiel frowns before he nods and looks over to Sam and Mae. “She’s right. This doesn’t matter. Especially now. Mae and the kids need to be taken to safety.” 

“Why is she talking in another language?” Mae asks, her eyes going dark as they narrow.

Castiel lifts an eyebrow. “I don’t know, and I really feel like it’s the least of our problems.”

“Ahmes was suppose to take over for Lilly to do the ritual.”

“Oh…” Castiel nods as his eyes sweep over Lilly. “Well this is still Lilly.”

“Okay stop.” Sam holds his hands up. “Lucifer has been possessing me for some time now?”

“It’s been about five years. Lilly got taken by Michael the night you said yes. Mae’s been with Lucifer. Lilly died. Dean went dark side and has been trying to kill all of you. Zachariah dropped off this Lilly two days ago, followed by her Dean. They’re from oh nine by the way…” Castiel sighs in exasperation. “So, like Bobby, her Dean and I were helping her, but we got separated. He’s still on his way to kill you and Mae, and the kids.” Castiel deadpans. 

Sam runs his hands through his hair. “Okay. Okay.” He looks back to Mae, his eyes widening for a moment before he turns back to Lilly and Castiel. “Right. You have no idea what we did.” 

Lilly shakes her head slowly. 

“Okay. Well uh. How do we get Mae and-” Sam blinks as he verbally stumbles, “-and the kids out of here?”

“He’s still in you. My brother. I can borrow energy and get the girls and kids to safety.” Castiel offers with a shrug. “You and Dean can talk.” 

Sam’s face scrunches. “I need Lilly.” He sighs as he runs a hand down his face. 

Mae shakes her head and buries her face into Sam’s chest again. “I don’t want to leave you.” 

Sam frowns as he looks down at Mae. “I don’t want to leave you either, but Mae. If Dean is really so deep he’s willing to kill us-” He shakes his head. “You need to go.” He sighs as he looks to Castiel. “How would I give his grace?” 

“Well, I’m about to pay for hurting Lilly while trying to tap her. Castiel takes a deep breath. “This is going to hurt, so bad. Like, you have no idea what you’re doing, but it’s the best we’ve got.”

Lilly looks up at the agitated Castiel and begins yelling at him.

“Are you fucking insane?” Castiel snaps at her in exasperation. “You can’t even stand!” 

Lilly just shrugs. 

“Besides, getting archangel grace from Sam will restore me to my old self. Just like the others that work for Lucifer.” Castiel shrugs. “They all managed to keep their abilities.”

“Right. So how do I do this.” Sam asks Castiel.

Castiel turns and lays Lilly on the couch before he turns back to Sam. “Alright, let’s get started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We really hope you're enjoying our take on The End. Leave us some guidance or tips, we appreciate all the help we can get as we work to improve our writing. Not comfortable with critique? Constructive or otherwise? We also love hearing about the things you loved, and answering questions. We look forward to hearing from you :)


	23. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilly continues to try and survive in a world too far gone while also trying to figure out how the hell to get back to her own time, with her real family.

53

 

Lilly wakes up with Sam standing over her. She blinks as she forces herself to sit up with shaky arms. “Mae?” She groans with concern, as she covers her eyes. She felt like shaky shit. She hadn’t even felt this bad after the cleansing ritual. It felt like a piece of her was missing.

 

“Cass took her and, and the kids somewhere else.” Sam assures her as he slumps on to the couch next to her. “Five fucking years…” He shakes his head as he leans back.

 

Lilly leans against him lazily, she takes a deep breath. “The plan?” She asks as she looks up at him.

 

“Right. You found some weird ritual or spell or something that made it so you could give me part of your abilities. Like make me stronger, better at fighting the control Lucifer would have over my body.” Sam chuckles. “That part worked.”

 

“Feel that.” Lilly grumbles.

 

“Yeah. Sorry.” Sam frowns before he continues. “The plan was, I go say yes, you show up so I can take control. And then Ahmes was going to do the ritual to banish Lucifer to the prison she’d constructed for Apep. We both knew the risks. We were planning to die that night… To save Mae and Dean…” 

 

Lilly can’t help the dark laugh that leaves her lips, as she nuzzles into his arm. “Do you remember the spell?” She asks hesitantly. Could they still do it?

 

Sam shakes his head. “No. We were having to sneak around to work on the plan. Bobby, Dean and Cass kept trying to keep us apart because they were afraid we were going to do exactly what we did.” He lets out a long sigh.

 

Lilly sighs as she thinks about that. “Ahmes, would still know it…” She frowns. “But, I don’t know how to relinquish my ba like that…”

 

“You had to work on the spell. It wasn’t originally designed to work on angels. You said you didn’t think it would banish me with him, but I didn’t care, I just wanted to rescue Mae and keep Dean from having to sacrifice himself.”

 

Lilly nods with a deep frown on her lips. “What type of spell is this?” She asks with curiosity. She felt better after some sleep but the exhaustion was still weighing on her.

 

Sam turns to look down at her with a raised eyebrow. “It’s some kind of blood spell. I think. We didn’t really get into the specifics of the spell work. You told me you knew what you were doing and I trusted you. That part of the plan was apparently fine. I guess it makes sense that since it wasn’t really you that cast it, it only kinda worked.” He shrugs.

 

“But, you’re in control?” Lilly asks with a frown.

 

“Yep. I don’t even feel him.”

 

“Well, that’s something.” Lilly sighs as she closes her eyes.

 

“So. We need to figure out how to get you and Dean back to oh nine.” Sam sighs. “Maybe stop this all from happening this way.”

 

Lilly nods slowly. “That was the plan…” 

 

“I wonder why Zachariah brought you here.” Sam frowns.

 

Lilly curses her opinion of that particular angel. “-is an idiot. If he had a plan, I still don’t see it.” She frowns. 

 

Sam nods his head. “Maybe I can give Cass a few more boosts of Lucifer’s grace and he can get you back.”

 

“Well we still need my Dean back. You know… The one that isn’t into killing our baby siblings and children.” 

 

“Children…” Sam shakes his head. “I can’t believe I’m a father. I wasn’t even awake for it.” He looks down at himself in disgust. 

 

Lilly purses her lips at that. How many times had Mae been raped? She cringes at the thought of that. “We’ll fix it.”

 

“I really want to get you home Lilly. I want to send you back as soon as I can get Cass up and running on full angel mojo again…” Sam shakes his head and snorts, giving her a small smile. “But I can’t. Not yet. I need you.”

 

“It’s fine Sam. I don’t want TFG Dean to do this either. I can’t-” Lilly stops herself her eyes dropping to the ground. “I need both Dean’s to be okay. I  _ need  _ my family to be okay.” She let’s out a dark laugh. “But- I’m having problems separating the here and now, from my here and now. Looking at those kids, this Dean… It’s becoming difficult to separate… Angel shit’s never fucked with me like this before. It’s always been easy to separate, but they’re blurring. You’re all still you. I can’t not care this time.” She admits softly. “That little boy, Ash… One look and I knew I was fucked.” She shakes her head. “He looks like the perfect blend of me and Dean, I sometimes dreamed about a future where I might actually be worthy of being a mother…” She closes her eyes, and shakes her head. “I don’t even know how they managed that…It’s almost surreal, but then… Blood calls to blood. He knew, just like me.” She admits softly. 

 

“I’m sorry Lilly.” Sam shakes his head and adjusts so he can hug Lilly. “I’m so sorry. I get it. It’s how I’m feeling. I looked at those kids and instantly knew which ones were mine. I can’t imagine the atrocities I’ve done to Mae without even being aware of it.”

“It wasn’t you Sammy, it was Lucifer.” Lilly sighs. “We fucked up.” Lilly shuts her eyes as she focuses on shoving those feelings down, finding it more difficult than she had before. “So we need to fix this. We only have a limited time. We need to start planning what to do when they get here.”

 

“You’re right.” Sam let’s out a sigh and moves back so he can look down at Lilly. “I can wrap my head around this later.” He nods with a small grin.

 

“There’s the Sammy I adore.” Lilly smiles. “So. What are we gonna do? There’s a caravan a militia lead by your brother on the way. My Dean and Bobby are with him.”

 

“Well, I could always wait until Cass is about to take you and Dean home to banish Lucifer. That way Dean could see it-”

 

“Right.” Lilly sighs. “That’s not gonna work. He’s gonna shoot you first.” 

 

“Trigger happy Dean. He knows normal bullets aren’t going to wor-”

 

“Colt.” Lilly sighs. “And apparently some angel blades.”

 

“Ah…” Sam’s brow furrows as he sinks back against the couch to think.

 

54

 

Dean glares at himself in the rearview mirror from the back seat. There was no way he was this much of a dick, right? 

 

“What are you glarin’ at.” TFG Dean snaps as he catches Dean looking at him.

 

“Something I never want to turn into.” Dean shrugs.

 

Bobby sighs. “Can ya both knock it off?” He grunts. “You both piss the damn same. I promise.”

 

TFG Dean turns his head to glare at Bobby. “This ain’t an alpha match.”

 

“Coulda fooled me. Both glarin’ at each other like bitches.” Bobby gruffs.

 

“This ain’t his time Bobby. He don’t know jack about the shit we’ve dealt with.”

 

“Ya think ya’d be better with dealin’ with yerself.” Bobby sighs with a roll of his eyes.

 

“I’m still back here.” Dean growls. Fuck this shit. He was not going to let himself kill Mae, Sammy and their kids. He’d never be able to live with himself.

 

“We know boy.” Bobby assures him.

 

“And ya need to shut up and start paying attention.” TFG Dean growls back. “Gods, I don’t remember ever bein’ this stupid.” He adds under his breath.

 

“Yeah, well I don’t recall ever bein’ this big of a douche, so we’re even.” Dean snaps back.

 

TFG Dean glares back at Dean. “You haven't even asked what got us this way. What a waste.”

 

“I didn’t ask you.” Dean goads. 

 

Bobby facepalms as he let’s out an exasperated sigh.

 

“Oh yeah, ya fuckin’ smart ass? Then what happened? What made us go from we can beat this to we’re all fucking doomed and the best we can do is take as many with us as we can?” TFG Dean asks, his eyes narrowed in the mirror. 

 

“Mae got taken, and it all went to shit. No big. I’ll keep Mae safe this time.” Dean shrugs.

 

“Fuck Mae.” TFG Dean scoffs. “Everyone’s always so fuckin’ worried bout Mae.” He growls. “Mae’s a fuckin’ damn fairy. She can take a couple months with fuckin’ Lucifer. She handled Lillith, she bounced back. She woulda bounced back from this fuckin’ too.” He adds angrily. “But fuckin’ Sam went an’ said yes, with Lilly’s approval. They made plans behind all of our backs- At least that’s the note they left me when I woke up from her druggin’ me. My fuckin’ soul mate, my ass. Fuckin’ god damn selfish brat.You need to beat her more. She needs a firm fuckin’ hand, yer too damn soft.”

 

Dean grimaces. He was fucking nuts. “So they had a plan, I’ll make sure I’m part of it so I can keep them safe. I’ll make sure w-” 

 

“No you fucking idiot. You keep them away from each other. You make sure they can’t plot and scheme behind your back. You don’t trust Lilly when she says she’s worried that Sam is going to do something stupid. You call her a fucking liar and beat her ass into submission.” TFG Dean growls out.

 

“That’s my gidjit your talking ‘bout boy.” Bobby growls, his eyes narrowed at TFG Dean.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Ya’d rather she end up killin’ herself again?” TFG Dean growls at Bobby.

 

“Wait, so instead of just keeping a better eye on Mae you want me to keep my brother and girlfriend separated.” Dean shakes his head. “You don’t even want to know what they tried to do? Maybe it would have worked.”

 

TFG Dean let’s out a dark chuckle. “You still don’t know. Make’s sense. I didn’t till she died. The angel’s had us fuckin’ marked. That stunt Lilly pulled at Sandover. The Fedex worker, she tried deckin; he was a fuckin’ cupid. She felt it. She knew.”

 

Dean lift his brow in surprise. “Lilly and I are marked by a cupid. Like the cute little baby with a bow?”

 

Bobby sighs. “They ain’t no baby. They’re a class of angels. Not everyone get’s marked like that, but you and Lilly, and Sam and Mae were.”

 

“So?” Dean shrugs. He already knew he loved Lilly. He didn’t need a stupid cupid mark to know that. “Doesn’t change anything.”

 

TFG  Dean scoffs. “It will when you fuckin’ lose her.” He says darkly. “It’s what happened to fuckin’ dad. He and mom were also fuckin’ marked. You know where that got us. Raisin’ our fuckin’ infant brother at four, while he lost his damned mind over fuckin’ findin’ Azazel.” 

 

Dean crosses his arms over his chest and looks out the window. Sure, maybe on his darkest days he was pissed that his dad never had time for them, other than to train them. Yeah, and he was sometimes pissed that he had been left to take care of Sam all on his own. When he was upset about it though, when he imagined it different, he imagined their mother living through the fire. However he knew the truth now. His mother had been a hunter. If she had lived, they probably would have become a hunting family. But at least he would have had both of them. Is that really what happened to him? He lost Lilly and blamed everyone around him for her death? Blamed Mae for her death? He shakes his head, now wasn’t the time for this shit. He still had to find Lilly and figure out how to get home.

 

“You didn’t fall asleep back there did you?” TFG Dean asks scathingly, as he turns the wheel. 

 

Bobby shoots TFG Dean a look of disapproval. 

 

“What? We’re here?” TFG Dean glowers at Bobby as he pulls the truck off the road. “Time to assemble the troops.” He growls as he puts the car in park. “You’re coming.” He glares back at Dean. “I think a fuckin’ good look at what Sam and Mae have become will be good for ya.”

 

Bobby and Dean exchange glances before they slide out of the truck.

 

“Fine.” Dean nods as he watches the rest of the convoy pull over.

 

Bobby glances between the two and just sighs, as he looks over the overgrown drive to Mystic. His eyes narrow when he see’s the newly broken branches, with a small piece of red fabric stuck to it. He scratches the back of his head. “You sure that’s a good idea, Dean. He might try ta stop ya.” 

 

“Yeah. I’m sure he’ll see it my way once they try to kill us.” TFG Dean growls as he grabs a bag.

 

Bobby frowns but just nods, before he turns and gives Dean a quick look on his way to grab his weapons. 

 

Dean furrows his brow and looks over at Bobby; stopping himself was exactly what he planned on doing. What the hell was Bobby playing at? He frowned in confusion, pulled from his thoughts when Bobby grabs him by the upper arm.  

 

“Then, I’ll stay with him. Stop him from doin’ somethin’ stupid.” Bobby gruffs roughly. “Won’t do any of us any good if he get’s himself killed.”

 

TFG Dean glares at Bobby suspiciously. “No. You go with the others, Delta’s leading the task force. Stay in line.” He orders. “I think I can manage watching myself.”

 

Bobby shrugs. “Yer the boss.”

 

“Really? I go back to my time and try that shit you’d cuff me Bobby.” Dean rolls his eyes.

 

“Now ain’t yer time Dean.” Bobby says gravely, as he pulls his bag over his shoulders.

 

“So I’ve been told. Over and over again.” Dean shakes his head

 

Bobby gives Dean one last long look. “You get back to my gidjit in one piece ya hear. Who knows where Zachariah took her. She’s gonna fucking need ya.” He shakes his head before he walks over to the others.

 

Dean’s brows furrow in confusion as he watches Bobby walk to the group. What the fuck had that shit been? Part of a show? He shrugs before he turns back to himself only to be greeted by the butt of a rifle.

 

“Yeah… I don’t even trust myself. You’re too fucking naive for this job.” TFG Dean grumbles as he hits himself one more time for good measure.

 

55

 

Lilly was sitting outside on the back porch with Sam, watching the sunset over the remains of Mae’s garden. She was glad Sam had changed out of the all white suit. Seeing him in jeans and the red plaid shirt was far more comforting. It was almost like she was home. 

 

“At least Cass is taking to the grace transfusions well.” Sam chuckles darkly.

 

“Yeah, well one thing had to work in our favor.” Lilly sighs as she looks over at Sam with a frown. They had spent an hour going over scenario’s but their plan was risky. She wasn’t sure Sam truly understood where his brother was mentally, and even after several warnings Sam had been convinced the best thing for them to do was to talk to TFG Dean together. 

 

“They’re here. Bobby just informed Cass that the two Deans are going to be sneaking around back while the main force attacks the front of the house. They’ll take out the demons stationed up there I guess.” Sam smiles. “And Bobby also knows you’re here. Apparently he saw a piece of your skirt in the woods.”

 

Lilly lazily looks down at her tattered skirt. “Yeah, skirts and trees don’t mix.” She sighs as she forces herself to stand. Her legs were still shaky, and she still felt like shit, but she could at least walk now.

 

“Where are you going?” Sam asks with a frown as he also stands.

 

“Again, civil isn’t gonna be the best way to do this Sammy. I’d rather stand.” Lilly frowns. “Don’t worry. I’m not leavin’ ya Sammy, it would be a death warrant for all of us.” 

 

Sam nods and gives her a sheepish look. “Right. Sorry.”

 

Lilly gives him a dark smile. “I know what it’s like to have no control. I get it.”

 

“What a pair we make.” Sam smiles down at her as he shakes his head.

 

“Everytime.” Lilly adds darkly; and it was true. It always seemed to be her and Sam in alternate realities. The damn Loki-verse. Sandover. They still managed to treat each other the same, she kind of thought it was ironic. She only ever got along with him in dire situations. She couldn’t help the smile at the irony of that. “You’re just as fucked as I am.”

 

“Never said I wasn’t.”

 

“But you like to act like you aren’t.” Lilly shrugs.

 

“No one ever wants to admit how messed up they are.” Sam sighs. “We both need Mae and Dean.”

 

Lilly just nods at that, turning towards the house when she heard guns going off. “There’s the alarm.” She sighs as she runs her hands through her hair. 

 

Sam claps one hand to his head as he sucks in air through his teeth. “Fuck.”

 

Lilly glances at Sam with a frown, and steps closer her hand wrapping around his arm. “No. Not fuck. What’s wrong.”

 

Sam shakes his head. “I’m fine now. I guess he tried to surprise me or something. He was fighting against me.”

 

Lilly narrows her eyes. “It’s been a couple of hours… And If I’m feeling better…” She licks her lips.

 

“Then this might not last much longer.” Sam finishes for her with a frown.

 

“That’s what I’m thinkin’.” Lilly grimaces. “This may never have been intended as a duration spell. I might have to walk away and come back to reinvoke it. Blood spells…” She looks to the ground. “They are powerful, but need-” She frowns as she pulls the blade Bobby had loaned her earlier from her boot. She makes a deep cut in her palm.  

 

“What are you doing?” Sam asks, watching her carefully.

 

“Give me your hand.” Lilly frowns as she holds out her hand.

 

Sam holds one hand up for her, barely reacting when she slices his palm open.

 

“Always blood with you.” Lilly grumbles as she closes the blade.

 

“Thanks for that reminder.” Sam rolls his eyes before he chuckles. “You actually have no idea.”

 

His words cause Lilly to hesitate. “Do you have aids?” She asks as she pulls back her bleeding palm instantly and takes a step back. 

 

Sam throws his head back and truly laughs. He laughs so hard he had to grab his stomach with his undamaged hand. “God Lilly, I love you. You’re fucking predictable. No, I don’t have aids.” He takes a deep breath and tries to breath.

 

Lilly scans him over. “I have been shockingly tolerant about conditions on this trip. It’s been disgusting Sam. Fuckin’ disgusting. I haven’t showered. I’ve slept on beds that have probably never been washed. I walked through the fuckin’ woods with open wounds.  I’m probably gettin’ fuckin’ gangrene. So when I ask if you have A.I.D’s and you bust a gut, it is not very reassuring. I am doin’ my fuckin’ best!” She seethes.

 

Sam breaks into laughter all over again as he holds his hands up defenselessly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He manages to get out between deep belly laughs and gasps for air. “Oh god, Lilly I’m so sorry. I don’t have aids I promise.” He takes a few deep breaths. “I was thinking of the night we went to put our plan into action. I had to drink demon blood. So much fucking demon blood.” 

 

Lilly just glares in disbelief. “And that’s fuckin’ funny to you?” She demands utterly unamused.

 

“No, I’m sorry. You just… You said the same thing then too.” Sam shakes his head as he continues to chuckle. “Sorry Lilly.”

 

Lilly pouts as she crosses her arms and glares at him. “I’m sorry if blood borne pathogens worry me. They are fuckin’ awful, and I don’t have an angel chillin’ in my head to keep my facilities working.”

 

Sam just nods, struggling to keep a straight face.

 

“Hand.” Lilly rolls her eyes. 

 

As Sam holds his hand out for her though, Lilly feels a hand tightly grip her around her upper arm before she’s yanked backwards. “What the fuck is going on?” TFG Dean snaps as he back tracks away from Sam.

 

The color drains from Lilly’s face as she looks up at TFG Dean with a look of surprise. “No!” She shouts when she finally realizes that he’s pulling her away from Sam. “Wait! I can explain!”  

 

“Dean, man it’s me. Hold up.” Sam raises his hands in front of himself defenselessly.

 

TFG levels the colt at Sam. “Don’t.” He glares, before he looks down at Lilly in absolute anger, his green eyes flashing furiously at her. “You. What the fuck are you doin’ here.” 

 

“Uh- Zachariah-” Lilly begins, wincing at the pressure in which he squeezed her shoulder.

 

TFG Dean shakes her roughly. “Don’t you dare fucking lie to me.” He looks over to Sam. “And you. Pretending to be my brother. How pathetic.”

 

“No, Dean, that’s Sam the plan everyone keeps goin’on-” Lilly rushes to explain.

 

“Shut the fuck up Lilly.” TFG Dean tosses her to the ground. “Where’s your whore and bastard spawn?”

 

Lilly winces as she hits the ground, feeling dizzy from the impact.

 

“Dean! Come on Man. You’re hurting Lilly, and that’s Mae you’re talking about.” Sam shakes his head. “What the hell happened to you?” He asks as he stares at his brother in shock.

 

“Fuck off Lucifer.” TFG Dean glares at Sam. “Where the fuck are they?” He demands.

 

Lilly groans as she pushes past her pain, and dizziness to get back to her feet. She narrows her eyes as she frowns. TFG Dean still had the colt trained at Sam.

 

“Dean please. It’s really me.” Sam pleads.

 

“Bullshit.” TFG Dean spits out. “We’ve played this game too much. I ain’t fallin’ for this stupid act again.” 

 

Sam shakes his head. “God Dean, I’m so sorry.” He grimaces and drags a hand over his face.

 

Lilly slowly begins moving towards Sam. The last thing they needed was Lucifer back. She needed to mix their blood, or they were all dead. Lucifer was going to be very unhappy about all of this. She was betting her life on it. 

 

“Lilly!” TFG Dean shouts again as he yanks her back to him and drags her to the ground. Without taking his eyes off Sam he stomps down on her leg, breaking it easily.

 

Lilly’s eyes widen in surprise as a cry of pain leaves her lips. Her vision going white as pain radiates through her. 

 

Sam’s mouth drops open. “What the fuck Dean!” He stares at his brother in shock for a moment before he moves to rush towards Lilly. 

 

“I don’t think so. Nice try, but I ain’t buying.” TFG Dean shakes his head. “Lilly, fucking stop moving or I’ll break the other one. Bones can heal, I can’t lose you again.” 

 

Lilly giggles with slight hysteria. “Funny way of showin’ it Tex.” 

 

“Dean…” Sam grabs his head. “Please, you don’t understand. Ahh!”

 

Lilly looks over to Sam and frowns. “Dean. I need to get to Sam. He’s losing control. Lucifer’s going to take over soon.” She pleads as she struggles to get free from beneath his boot.

 

“Yeah right.” TFG Dean sneers down at her. “Lucifer loves games.”

 

“This ain’t a fuckin’ game cowboy.” Lilly argues as she struggles to get free. “He needs my- I need to get to him!” 

 

Sam lets out a strangled shout and falls to his hands and knees. “No, fuck… Get-” He collapses to the ground.

 

“Shit.” Lilly curses swallowing back the pain as she gives it her all to get out from under Dean’s boot. 

 

“Damn kid, that was some powerful spellwork.” Lucifer shakes his head as he stands back up. “That’s what I get for becoming to complacent though.”

 

Lilly’s heart sinks at the change in tenor. 

 

TFG Dean shakes his head. “Knew it was a fucking trick. Where the fuck are your whore and bastards?”

 

“Ah Dean. Pleasure as always.” Lucifer smiles as his eyes sweep over Dean and Lilly. “Thank you for taking care of that little pest for me. She was going to put our Sammy in permanent control.” He smiles as his eyes drop to Lilly as he chuckles. “You’re so good at being a nuisance.” He wags his finger at her.  

 

TFG Dean just shakes his head and pulls the trigger.

 

Lucifer disappears from the yard before the bullet strikes, with one final grin at the couple.

 

“God dammit. I knew better. I should have just taken the shot. But no, you kept stepping in front of him.” TFG Dean growls.

 

Lilly sighs as she let’s her head rest in the grass, resigned. He was pissed. He was insane. And he was literally standing on top of her. What was she going to do? He was gonna kill her. “To be fair, I never stepped in front of him.”

 

“That’s true, she never stood in front of me.” Lucifer snickers from behind Dean. With a flick of his wrists Dean goes flying in one direction as Lilly goes in the opposite direction. 

 

Lilly cries out as she hits the house with a painful thud, her eyes fluttering with pain blooms through her back and broken thigh.

 

“I’ll deal with you later.” Lucifer blows a kiss to Lilly before he turns and slowly advances on TFG Dean.

 

“Dean!” Lilly cries out as she struggles to get her body to respond to her thoughts, but with every action pain shoots through her.

 

“Oh Dean. Dean Dean Dean. I really should thank you. You never said yes to Michael, you chose to meet with me before I fulfilled my promise to Elizabeth to go rescue Lilly. And then, surprisingly, you turned on my beloved, bringing the two of us closer than ever before.” Lucifer smiles as he approaches the prone TFG Dean.

 

TFG Dean groans, as he struggles to pick himself up from the ground, the colt still clenched in his hand as he glares at Lucifer. “Fuck you.” He growls as he glares at Lucifer.

 

Lucifer chuckles as he knocks the colt from Dean’s hand with a snap of his fingers.

 

Lilly winces at the snap, her teeth grinding together from the pain as she forced herself up. Her eyes bright with pain as she looked towards Dean and Lucifer with a frown.

 

“But sadly, our game of cat and mouse has come to an end.” Lucifer snaps again, sending Dean flying a foot away, where he ends up on his back.

 

Lilly pushes past the pain, as she pulls herself into standing watching the one sided fight with horror.

 

Lucifer presses one foot to TFG Dean’s neck. “Good bye Dean.” He smiles as he slowly presses his foot down to snap the bones.

 

“No!” Lilly scream’s out so violently it tears at her throat. Her mind reeling in horror as she watches the scene playing out in front of her. The sound of the snap echoing in her ears.

 

“And now, you.” Lucifer slowly turns to stare at Lilly. “You come into my house and turn my mate against me. Do you know how hard I had to work to train her?”

 

Lilly’s eyes harden as she meets the devil’s gaze. Her world felt like it was crumbling around her, as despair and anger swirled within her. 

 

“Hey you! Pick on someone your own size.” Dean growls as he races towards Lilly.

 

Lucifer tilts his head to the side before he turns to look at another Dean. “Ah. I see they weren’t lying about there being two of you.”

 

Lilly looks to Dean in confusion, before the fact Lucifer hadn’t killed her Dean hits her like a brick to the face. Her eyes widening in surprise. “Dean.” She whispers softly as she takes a deep breath.

 

“Well. I see you two have come a long way to see your future.” Lucifer crosses his arms. “Calm down.” He tells Dean with a frown. “Unlike my brother I follow the rules. I was just going to teach her lesson. I put a lot of work into my Elizabeth and one look at this one and she’s acting with the same disobedience she did when I first collected her.” He smiles at Dean, his eyes glinting with dark amusement. “Your woman just needs to learn her place.” 

 

Dean rolls his eyes. What the fuck did Lilly do when he wasn’t around. “So I’ve been told.” He sighs.

 

Lucifer smiles. “And how are you enjoying you peek behind the curtain?” 

 

Dean glares. “What this shit show? I’ve seen better.” He scoffs.

 

Lucifer frowns and nods. “I’ll admit, it has been a rough cleansing. Six billion humans, almost all of them bent on destroying my father’s last perfect creation.” He walks over to a nearby blooming rosebush and smiles down at the vibrant blood red blooms. “This stage could take a good twenty years to complete.”

 

Lilly looks to Dean with a frown. How had she been here for two days and managed to get his future self killed? Her frown deepens at the thought. Would the spell still work if she managed to mix her and Sam’s blood? She grits her teeth, as she attempts to move only to let out a hiss of pain at the weight on her leg. 

 

Lucifer turns his head to look at Lilly. “You should go to her Dean. Your future self was not kind to her.”

 

Dean glares at Lucifer, but can’t help but look at Lilly in concern. He’d seen him stomp on her leg, he’d just been too far away to do anything. He frowns, torn. He wasn’t about to turn his back on the fucking devil either. Though he supposed if he was going to kill them, there really wasn’t much he could do to stop it. His frown deepened.

 

“I’m fine.” Lilly tells Dean, when she see’s his indecision. 

 

“It’s up to you Dean. I told you I won’t touch you, or her.” Lucifer shrugs as he continues to admire the roses.

 

Dean’s silent before he quickly moves to Lilly, and scoops her up bridal style. “I got ya babe.” He assures her, watching as she buries her face into her chest and nuzzles him.

  
  


“I wouldn’t worry too much. The earth is much better off now than it was when I took over.” Lucifer smiles as he turns back to Dean and Lilly. “Once the human virus was under control the world started to heal. It feel wonderful to have been proven right.”

 

“Right bout what?” Dean demands as he glares at the archangel.

 

“Surely you’ve heard one story of why I fell. But have you ever heard my side?” Lucifer asks.

 

“I’m guessin’ I’m bout too.” Dean sighs.

 

Lucifer smiles. “Michael cast me out of Heaven because I loved God, I loved my father, more than anything. We were happy in heaven, we were happy to help God create this beautiful utopian garden. It was pure perfection. And then God created… You. Then humans. The hairless apes. And do you know what he told us to do? He told us to to bow down to these creatures, to love them more than we loved him. To serve them, protect them. And I felt disgusted. I saw the imperfections, something God insisted was necessary for the humans to possess. I told him I couldn’t, that I could never love the humans more than I loved him. My own father. And he punished me. I went to my brother, to Michael, pleading with him to talk to our father. To make him see reason. And I was banished from heaven, banished to hell. Later, Michael threw me into the cage-”

 

“Oh fuckin’ spare me.” Dean sighs in exasperation. He’d heard enough of this wallowing piece of shit... “Join the fuckin’ club of crap parents man. God, weren’t you on ice for like a eon or somethin’? Oh daddy didn’t love me- Let it the fuck go man. He obviously has.” He states with a frown.  

 

Lilly looks up at Dean with a raised eyebrow. They were gonna die, she sighed as she laid her head against her chest. Well he saved her the breath, for saying it. It would just be hypocritical for her to lecture him.

 

Lucifer frowns and clucks his tongue. “I can see where she get’s the attitude.” He shakes his head. “So disrespectful.”

 

Dean rolls his eyes. He was so fucking ready to go home. “Boo hoo satan.”

 

Lucifer shakes his head. “Satan, devil, human words for evil. I am constantly blamed for all the evil in the world, but I’ve been locked away, unable to influence anything. What does that say about you corrupt humans? Assigning the blame on the easy target while you continue to kill-”

 

“Hey we didn’t say shit about the humans. Don’t be pissy with us, cause yer daddy loved us better.” Lilly scoffs.

 

“His mistake.” Lucifer shrugs.

 

“But your torch.” Lilly frowns as she lays her head back on Dean’s arm, dejectedly. Her whole body hurt, her emotions were fucking everywhere, and she’d just seen Dean murdered. In fact had assisted in it. 

 

“Are ya gonna bore us to death? What the fuck?” Dean groans. “Just kill us and get it over with.”

 

“Thank you.” Lilly breathes as she looks up to Dean with complete agreement. 

 

“No. I’m not going to kill you. I said I play by the rules, unlike Michael. You might want to remember that.” Lucifer smiles as he turns as begins to walk away.

 

“You better finish us now, or I will find a way to kill you.” Dean barks out of irritation at the devil’s back.

 

Lucifer stops and turns to look at Dean and Lilly over his shoulder. “Oh, I know you’ll try.” He smiles gleefully. Just like I know you won’t say ‘yes’. You’re not going to be able to do one without the other however. So, I actually think me and my family are quite safe from your silly threats. I’ll see you in five years Dean.”He flicks his wrist out and suddenly he’s holding the colt. “And Lilly… Try not to die so soon. It really broke Elizabeth’s heart.”

 

“Fuck you.” Lilly spits out with a growl.

 

“You wish.” Lucifer chuckles before he vanishes with a soft flap.

 

Dean lets out the breath he’d been holding. “Holy fucking shit.”

 

Lilly looks up at Dean with a frown. “Yeah.” She sighs, her back stiffening when she feels a familiar grace approaching.

 

Dean shakes his head. “What should we do? Did you and Cass figure-”

 

“Zachariah is on his way.” Lilly sighs.

 

“Already here sweetheart.” Zachariah chuckles as he puts two fingers to Dean’s forehead. He winks at Lilly before he and Dean vanish.

 

Lilly falls to the ground with surprise a sharp curse leaving her lips as pain shoots through her. The world going dark as the pain from the unexpected impact knocks her out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Readers,
> 
> Don't forget to let us know what you think :) See ya next Sunday!


	24. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooooooooooo sorry! I thought I had posted this, but it was just sitting in unposted all pretty and unreadable. I'll be posting another chapter on Friday to make up for this! :(
> 
> On a brighter note, we hope you enjoy the chapter. Dean and Lilly did not like the future they found themselves in, and then suddenly, to Lilly's horror, Dean was taken back to his own time, leaving her to face the extremely an angry Lucifer.

56

Dean glares at Zachariah. “What the fuck was that? You go back there and fuckin’ bring her back!” He growls at the angel smirking smugly at him.

Sam shoots up in bed, and looks around in confusion. “What the fuck?” He asks as he jumps to his feet, shaking off the blankets.

“I feel like you still don’t understand.” Zachariah smiles at Dean, “I don’t have to do anything, you little piss ant.”

“Dean!” Sam grabs his knife and presses the edge aginst his arm.

Zachariah flicks his wrist and sends Sam into the wall. “Stop.” He sighs, before he looks back at Dean. “I’m thinking about letting her chill there, as you kids say, while you think about your answer to Michael and Lucifer. You two sleep on it. I’ll be back in a couple days waiting on your answer.” He shrugs. “Unless you want to say yes now. Time travel is such a finicky thing you know.” He smirks smugly as he bounces on the heels of his feet. “Oh, and that nasty little obscura is only going to make it that much more difficult to find her.” He clicks his tongue. “What a shame…” 

“You goddamn son of a cock sucking whore. You bring her back right now.” Dean growls as he lunges at Zachariah. 

Zachariah sighs. “So you want to think on it. Her life.” He smiles as he disappears.

“Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!” Dean shouts at the top of his lungs as he kicks one of their bags.

Sam groans as he falls back to his feet, already calling out for Castiel. “Uh… Dude, what the hell just happened?”

“Sam?” Castiel asks with a raised eyebrow as he flaps into the room, his eyes bouncing between the two brothers.

“I’m gonna rip that damned angel’s lungs out!” Dean shouts as he starts tossing his shit into his bag.

Castiel blinks as he steps away from Dean. “What happened?” He asks Sam with a frown.

Sam shrugs with a lost look on his face. “Zachariah was here and-”

“He fuckin’ left Lilly in fuckin’ gods damn fuckin’ twenty fifteen.” Dean growls.

Castiel’s eyes widen with surprise. “I thought they were at the house?”

“Yeah well they weren’t. Fuck. I have no clue if Mae’s okay. Fuck. Lucifer- Fuck. Future fucking hell.” Dean continues to not make any sense as he tosses weapons and cleaning cloths into his bag. Why had he been cleaning his fucking guns?

“What the hell happened, how’d they get the girls?” Sam asks as he rushes to dump their belongings into the bags. 

Castiel sighs before he walks over to Dean and presses his fingers to his forehead. “Dean, I’m looking at your memories, hopefully they will make more sense.” He sighs as he sorts through the chaotic mess of Dean’s thoughts before he steps back with a stern frown. 

Dean growls and punches his fist through the wall. “Fuck.” 

“Come on man, just grab your weapons and shit.” Sam sighs as he rushes to throw on clothes. “Cass, what’s happenin’ man?” He asks as he looks to the angel.

“Lilly is stuck in the year two thousand fifteen.” Castiel states with a frown. “In an alternate timeline where Lilly is dead and Michael and his followers have left. Lucifer has you and Mae and is well on his way to ridding the earth of humanity. Zachariah did not attempt to bring Lilly back when he collected Dean.”

Sam groans. “Can you go get her?” He asks as he shrugs on his jacket.

“I am not able to go that far into the future, it isn’t set yet. It is much easier to go into the past of our present.” Castiel admits as he crosses his arms in front of his chest.

Dean lets out a guttural growl as he grabs a gun, and several knives. “I’mma kill that piece of shit.”

Sam grimaces. “So then where’s Mae?” He asks with a frown.

“I do not know.” Castiel frowns. “But she will be easier to locate than Lilly. We should find her first.” He sighs as he watches Dean carefully, having never seen the man so angry. 

Dean shakes his head and punches the wall again. “Fucking… Can he really keep her there?”

Castiel frowns. “He should not have brought either of you there to begin with. I cannot say if he’d actually follow through on that threat. However, I feel I should point out that the longer she is there, the larger the possibility is that the timeline will correct itself.” 

Sam winces. “Correct itself?” He forces himself to ask.

“It will not be a pleasant experience.” Castiel sighs. “Time only likes to flow in one way. Having someone who has been dead, brought there from the past… It will inevitably erase her. She will be taken by paradox.” 

Dean takes a deep breath. As of right now he knew where Lilly was; she was just out of his reach. But Mae, they had no idea where she was. And everything in the future went downhill the moment she was taken.

The thick tension in the room is suddenly broken by the sound of harps and holy trumpets. 

Castiel tilts his head as he slides his hand into his pocket and pulls out his phone. “It is Bobby. I am sorry, but I think it would be best if I took this.” He apologizes, before he flips his phone open.

Sam and Dean both nod as they continue to pack.

“Bobby.” Castiel greets calmly. “This is not the best-” He pulls the phone away from his ear when Bobby suddenly barks loudly. His brows furrow in concern before he slowly brings the phone back. “I do not know why Mae is at the hospital. No she has not-” He frowns. “Yes. I can go retrieve her.” He nods before he disappears.

“What!? Communication!!” Sam yells at the ceiling. “Would it have killed him to let us know if Mae was okay? Why the fuck is she in a hospital? What the fuck happened?” Sam punches the wall, leaving a hole right next to Dean’s earlier sign of anger.

Dean opens his mouth to respond, when Castiel suddenly reappears in the room cradling Mae in a hospital gown, the I.V and wires still hanging from her. “I have retrieved Mae.” He says into the phone that is tucked between his shoulder and ear. “Lilly is in the future-” 

“What the hell happened to her?” Sam demands as he struggles to free his hand from the cheap plaster.

“She is exhausted.” Castiel informs Sam, wincing as Bobby’s voice booms in the background before the phone goes silent. “Bobby is angry.” He sighs as he lays Mae on the bed, before he closes his phone, and slides it back into his pocket. 

“He can join the club.” Dean rolls his eyes. He’d explain it to the old man later. Right now he had to think. At least they had Mae, now he could get the team to totally focus on getting Lilly back. 

Sam rushes over to Mae, and begins carefully removing the stickers from her chest. “Exhausted? You sure that’s all?” He asks as he looks over her with a frown. She didn’t look sick, but he was worried about the dark bags under her eyes. He sighs in relief when he notices that her skin felt fine to the touch. But, it still left him guessing what had happened. 

“Yes. She is not showing any other signs of trauma, besides dehydration.” Castiel nods, before he looks to Dean. “What would you like to do Dean?” He asks with a frown.

“Let’s get back to Mystic. That’s where Lilly will go if she finds a way home.” Dean runs a hand down his face. “We can set up there and start looking into other ways to get her back.”

Castiel nods. “Alright. Sam are you going to stay here or come with us?”

Dean shakes his head. “Everyone is staying together.”

Castiel frowns. “Alright.” He sighs this was going to be a very draining night. 

“Sorry man.” Dean shakes his head. “I’ll get over the future shit eventually, but for now we stay together.”

Sam nods in agreement. “Alright.” He sighs as he scoops up Mae gently and cradles her to his chest. “We can talk about finding Lilly at the house then.” He assures his brother, able to focus better now that Mae was in his arms. He walks over to Castiel.

Dean nods at Sam before he looks over at Castiel. “Ready?”

“This is going to be a little more unpleasant than normal.” Castiel informs them as he grasps each brother by the shoulder, before the four of them disappear from the room.

57

Lilly groans as she slowly wakes up. Her entire body was aching, and her thigh felt like it was on fire. She was cold and damp from sweat, her eyes bright with pain as she looks around the room in confusion. She blinks when her eyes land on Sam. The pieces don’t click, however, until she meets his eyes. She shoots up with sudden realization, her body protesting the sudden action. “Lucifer.” She greets apprehensively, with a gasp of pain.

“I see you’ve finally regained consciousness.” Lucifer greets with a nod before he backs away from her, taking a seat on the couch opposite her. “I’m still trying to figure out Zachariah’s end game here.”

Lilly can’t stop her eyeroll. “Don’t bother. You’ll just hurt yourself.” She groans as she forces herself into a more defensive position ignoring her stiff muscles. “Is there a reason, I’m not dead?” She asks.

Lucifer shrugs. “I said I wasn’t going to kill you. In fact, I’m thinking of sending you home myself. This is insulting. There are far less, inconvenient, ways to kill you if that is what Zachariah wants.”

Lilly leans back on the couch. “And here I thought he was battin’ for you.” She sighs as her head rolls back and she studies the ceiling.

Lucifer laughs. Lilly can’t help but wince at how strange the sound of it is; how different it was from Sam’s laughter earlier. “That stuffy prick? Ha. No, nono dear girl. I wouldn’t let him work for me if he begged. He’s to, shifty. Not at all trustworthy.”

Lilly looks at Lucifer with a raised eyebrow. “At least you have standards.” She breathes out.

“High standards.” He assures her. “I don’t enjoy working with the heavenly bureaucrats.” 

“Must be hard to find underlings.” Lilly mumbles.

Lucifer rolls his eyes and leans forward, pressing his cheek into his palm. “You have no idea.”

“I thought you were the father of demons?” Lilly asks with a sigh. What else was she gonna do? He wasn’t being a complete prick. She could barely move. He wasn’t stuck in some woe is me loop. And he could just kill her if he felt like it. Fuck it. She wasn’t exactly working with many options here, and as much as she loathed to admit it, she was at his mercy.

Lucifer shrugs. “And demons are so… Demony. They’re even worse than the humans. I never realised my… Mockery statement to my father would become a whole new race of creature. What am I, God?”

Lilly can’t help the snort that leaves her. “Kinda at the moment, yeah.” She breathes out.

“Oh, well thank you.” Lucifer chuckles before he leans back and looks her over. “Elizabeth always assured me I’d like you. She wasn’t wrong.” He shakes his head with a small smile. “You speak your mind, it’s refreshing.”

“Well as long as Lucifer likes me, I must be doing something right…” Lilly grumbles sardonically. 

Lucifer shrugs. “I’m really not a bad guy Lilly.”

“I’m racist. Or speciesist? Have you met Zachariah? Uriel? Cass is alright, but he seems kinda…” Lilly trails off. What the fuck was she doing? Was she just done? She crinkles her nose at that thought. She felt… Nothing. That couldn’t be right…What the fuck was wrong with her. There went another tenet though, out loud and spoken to Satan himself. 

“I feel like you have a valid reason. But now, speaking of Castiel.” Lucifer stands and walks over to stand behind his desk.

Lilly watches Lucifer with interest. Was he going to have Castiel kill her? They’d barely just gotten over that whole abomination thing… She sighs. She was being awfully optimistic today.

Castiel walks in and shoots a concerned look at Lilly, before it quickly shifts to a half smile. He turns to Lucifer, and salutes. “Boss.”

“Hello Castiel.” Lucifer greets before he turns back to Lilly. “He’s volunteered to take you home.”

“Seriously? Just like that?” Lilly asks in surprise and before she can stop herself the words pour out of her mouth. “He’s not just gonna slaughter me to show loyal-” Her eyes widen.“Oh gods I’m giving you ideas…” She closes her eyes and hangs her head, if she had more energy she would have facepalmed, but as it was she was happy to have sat up.

Lucifer shakes his head and smiles. “Castiel doesn’t need to prove his loyalty to me. He’s loyal to my Elizabeth. And as long as he follows my orders, he will be allowed to continue to guard her.”

“Huh.” Lilly frowns. “Interesting.” She sighs thoughtfully as she looks Lucifer over. What the fuck was his end game? Fuckin’ confusin’ ass angels. He’d threatened her before she’d passed out, but now he was just giving her… Her eyes widen in surprise before they narrow in suspicion. “What Mae offer you this time?”

Lucifer chuckles. “You really have trust issues dear girl. You should work on that. Back in your own time and far away from my family.” He sighs. “That and I don’t want your blood anywhere near me, that boy is a pain in the ass to get back under control.”

Lilly frowns. “But why?” She can’t help but ask. “Killing me now, would only serve in your best interest, you’re brother would be fucked. You would have the upper hand- Why am I pushing this?” She sighs as she stops herself from talking. Why did his reasons even matter? If he was offering to send her home, why couldn’t she just shut the fuck up. 

Lucifer’s eyes darken and he glares at her. “I am nothing like my brother Lilly. He is content to break the rules, I am not. Michael forfeit and left after your death. But you, you don’t belong here. Time has a way of fixing itself girl. I would rather know what I’m dealing with.” 

“Heard.” Lilly frowns. “My bad. Was just....” She trails off. What was she doing?

Lucifer takes a deep breath. “No no, by all means. Curiosity is a healthy trait.” He looks back to Castiel and gestures to Lilly. “But our time here is over. I hope you manage to slide right back into place with minimal pains.” He waves his hand dismissively.

“Okay Lilster, time to go.” Castiel says as he swiftly walks over to her, and picks her up as carefully as he can.

“But hurry back Castiel. Report back to me immediately. We have much we need to converse about.”

“Yes sir.” Castiel nods in understanding before he looks down at Lilly. 

“Heya Crush.” Lilly rasps, pain radiating from the sudden movement. “Good ta see yer still breathin’.”

“Hey, you too.” Castiel smiles down at her. “Ready to go home?”

“Yeah, I think I’ve had my fill of this wonderful staycation.” Lilly breathes with a droll smile.

“It’s going to feel different.” He warns as he gently adjusts his grip on her.”Hold on tight.”

Lilly nods as she wraps her arms around Castiel, her fingers burying into his shirt. “Let’s do this.” 

Lucifer smiles as the two vanish.

58

“Down.” Lilly grumbles her stomach instantly turning. “Down.” She groans as she quickly untangled her arms from Castiel. 

“Sorry Lilster.” Castiel walks her over to Dean’s bed. “Wow, I’d almost forgotten how great this place was.”

“Imma vomit on you.” Lilly warns with a frown.

“Right, sorry.” Castiel eases her onto the bed before he rushes to grab the trash can from the bathroom. “Here.”

Lilly takes the bucket and bends over it with a groan. She breathes heavily. “It is pretty great.” She sighs.

“What the fuck is this?” Thoth asks in confusion as he looks between Lilly and Castiel. He’d literally just left Lilly in the divine realms when he felt this second Lilly arrive. He looks at Castiel and lifts his eyebrow, feeling the difference in his grace. He drags his hand through his hair confused. “How?” He asks with a frown. 

Castiel smiles brightly as he looks at Thoth. “Thoth! What up man?” He beams at him. “Good to see you around and kickin’.” 

Thoth raises an eyebrow at the strange Castiel in front of him. “Castiel. Why are there suddenly double Lilly’s in my life, one is troublesome enough as she is.”

Castiel clicks his tongue as he looks between Lilly and Thoth. “Oh… Whoops.” He smiles sheepishly. “Missed the mark. But dude! It’s nice to see you.”

“Time travel?” Thoth sighs as he brings his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he takes a deep breath.

“Right on the nose.” Castiel chuckles.

“That does explain why I just left a Lilly in my study.” Thoth shakes his head and turns to look Castiel over.

“Oh right. Sorry, just got my wings back man.” Castiel frowns. “Can you make sure the other one doesn’t, you know, see this one.” 

Thoth nods. “I’ll pick her up when I drop her and Mae off later.”

Castiel nods. “Knew you’d get it.” He looks Thoth over and just smiles. “Oh yeah, some free advice, if this one get’s caught by Michael, don’t try to rescue her. It kinda made it worse, ya know?” 

Thoth crosses his arms over his chest and tilts his head slightly. “I will try to bear that in mind.”

“Mind.” Castiel snaps. “Wanna book?” He offers with a lazy grin.

“Yes!” Thoth walks over and puts his palm against Castiel’s forehead; barely able to contain his curiosity. 

Lilly finally speaks up. “Should you two really be doing that, Luci’s gonna be pissed Crush.”

Castiel shrugs. “He’s a god of knowledge and rollin’ some nice ass blunts. Who am I to question that?”

Thoth smiles as he conjures a book from thin air. “It is good to hear that we continued to build our bonds of trust over the years.” 

Castiel nods before he looks at Lilly. “You. Be more careful.” He turns back to Thoth. “She’s pretty fucked up. I can’t heal her… I vowed I wouldn’t, but the other me can.” He smiles.

“I will alert the other you then, at the appropriate time. Travel well old friend.”

“Heard, thanks man.” Castiel smiles and pulls Thoth in for a hug before he takes a step back and disappears.

Thoth blinks for a moment before he walks over to Lilly. “Hello again.”

“Well that explains the book.” Lilly sighs as she looks over Thoth with a small smile.

“Yes, I suppose it would.” Thoth shakes his head before he gently sits next to her. “I’m going to put you to sleep Lilly, your leg looks bad. Once I have you and Mae back here I’ll collect you and have Sekhmet see to you.”

Lilly nods. “Thank you, Thoth. Sorry for always being such a pain.” She sighs as he waves his cupped hand over her face. Her eyes closing as she drifts into oblivion.

“Silly girl, I seriously doubt your ability to fuck with time like this.” Thoth sighs as he gently picks her up and disappears from the room. He and Maat were going to have to go over that book, and hopefully, if the Winchesters got desperate enough to seek his help, he would know when he could return her. Till then he was going to have to keep her in their domain, paradox was a tricky business.

59

It had been twenty minutes and nothing they had come up with was good enough. He needed Lilly back, now. Gods only… Dean pauses in his agitated pacing.

Sam looks up from the couch Mae was sleeping on. “What’s wrong Dean?”

“Nothing. Imma gonna go try something. You two uh, keep thinking.” Dean mumbles as he begins to exit the room.

“I thought we were supposed to stay together?” Sam calls out annoyed. Dean had been very insistent that they not leave each other, not that he didn’t agree, but now he was just taking off.

“You three stay together. I’m just gonna try something in Lilly’s room.” Dean sighs. “Five minutes tops.” He sighs. He really wasn’t sure how it worked. Was it like with Castiel? Or would he need a deeper connection. He wasn’t happy about it, but he wasn’t taking chances. She was always in front of that damn alter meditating. He shakes his head as he takes the stairs two at a time, and rushes into Lilly’s room, skidding to a halt in front of the altar. 

“Okay Thoth. I uh. I know we haven’t always been on the best terms, and I know I’ve gotten angry at some of the things that Lilly has done for you and Maat. And that whole branding thing, but, I think I get it. And uh, yeah, man I need your help. See, the thing is, Lilly’s stuck five years in the future in a world gone completely crazy, fucking Zachariah’s handy work, and uh. I need to know if there’s anyway you know of that I can go get her or you can pull her back? I mean, God of knowledge, if you don’t know what to do I’m starting to feel fucking boned. Dammit, am I doing this-”

“Messing with time is dangerous Dean. I don’t carry spells of that variety.” Thoth sighs from behind him. “And you’re doing fine. You’re loud. You don’t have to yell at the alter. It amplifies what I would have heard if you had simply prayed…”

“Oh thank gods.” Dean lets his head drop for a second before he turns to face Thoth, his eyes widening in surprise when he finds Lilly in the god’s arms.

“Though, I will admit. I was waiting for this.” Thoth can’t help the amused smile that curls his lips.

“You got her!” Dean nearly cries as he steps up to Thoth to take her from him.

Thoth passes Lilly to Dean with a small smile. “She is still damaged but Sekhmet healed the worst of it.”

Dean holds Lilly to his chest with his eyes closed for a long moment before he turns back to Thoth. “Thank you-”

“I didn’t do anything.” Thoth raises his hand, immediately shutting Dean down, he didn’t want the boy thinking he’d messed with time. “She was returned by Castiel.”

“What do you mean? We’ve been with Cass- Oh.” Dean tilts his head to the side. “Hippy Cass got her home? He found the mojo for that?”

“Lucifer had no interest in keeping her around it would seem, so- Hippy is a good word, Castiel volunteered to bring her home on borrowed grace.” Thoth states. “I merely kept her in our home til I knew you had been returned. It was the only safe way to assure that Lilly would not run into herself. Hopefully you haven’t had to wait too long.” 

Dean nods. “No, we got Mae back from the hospital and came here to figure out what to do next.”

Thoth lifts his eyebrow. “Mae was in the hospital?” He asks curiously.

“We have no idea what happened, but yes. Cass busted her out.” Dean explains. 

Thoth tilts his head slightly to the side. “I see. Well it seems like you’ve all had quite a long day. Hippy Cass-” Thoth smiles. “Was kind enough to allow me access to his memories, when you are all more rested, I would like to speak with you more on the matter.”

“Sure thing.” Dean nods, oddly grateful that Thoth was even asking him to talk.

“I will go to the hospital and make sure Castiel was not hasty in extracting Mae.” Thoth sighs. “No sense in worrying the humans in this town over her well being, and her blood will bring up questions if it is examined.”

Dean grimaces. “And that is why you are the god of wisdom.” He nods. He hadn’t even thought about that. All thoughts had been on getting Lilly back. He was ashamed to admit he’d even considered the what if’s of saying yes to Michael. He was glad he’d thought of Thoth first.

Thoth gives Dean a small smile. “We will talk soon Dean, till then get some rest.” 

Dean smiles and looks down at Lilly. “That sounds great.”

Thoth nods before he disappears from the room.

Dean walks out of Lilly’s room and calls out over the banister. “I’ve got her.” He can’t help the smile when he hears loud footsteps, and watches as Sam, with Mae pressed to his chest comes rushing into sight, and feels Castiel next to him nearly instantly.

“How?” Sam calls up as he rushes up the stairs.

“Thoth had her.” Dean admits before he turns to Castiel. “Your future self brought her back.” 

Castiel frowns and tilts his head to the side. “I see. There is a story here.”

Dean nods. “I think Thoth has it but he wanted to wait till after we slept to talk.”

Sam walks over to join Dean and Castiel. “So, we sleeping old school or what? Cause sleep sounds great.”

“Our rooms, they’re across from each other.” Dean shrugs.

Castiel looks between the two. “If you don’t mind, I would like to stay awhile.”

“Of course man.” Dean nods.

“I’m with him.” Sam agrees just as quickly. “Besides, I think Mae would be pissed if we kicked you out.”

“Very well.” Castiel smiles. “I will be downstairs if needed.” With a last look at the two sleeping girls Castiel flaps away.

Dean nods before he turns to Sam. “Not it.” He smiles cheekily, before he walks down the hall.

“Dude, what the hell.” Sam shakes his head. That was not a conversation that could wait until tomorrow. With a groan he shifts Mae and pulls his phone out of his pocket. This was going to suck, but at least he had good news. He shakes his head and dials before he walks down the hall to put Mae in his bed.

60

Mae opens her eyes with a frown. She was so tired. How long had she been asleep? It didn’t feel like it was nearly long enough. She contemplates getting up and showering, but decides she can have a lazy day. She rolls over to find a more comfortable position when she finds herself face to face with Sam. She smiles and kisses his nose; when did they get home? With a content sigh she pulls herself in closer to Sam’s chest and settles her head under his chin.

Sam let’s out a sigh as he easily scoops Mae closer to him, pulling her to his chest as he rolls to his back, his eyes sweeping over her face. 

“Morning.” Mae greets him with a smile before she lays her head against his chest. “What time did you get in last night?”

“At four.” Sam frowns at her. “Where were you last night?” He asks as he wraps his other arm around her waist lazily. “You scared me.”

Mae frowns. “I’m sorry. I know you said not to leave the house, but I’ve been visiting with Maat while Thoth works with Lilly. She’s been, helping, working with me like a counselor.” 

“You weren’t with the gods though. You were at the hospital.” Sam narrows his eyes slightly. Why was she lying to him. Or- He frowns. 

“What?” Mae pushes herself up in surprise. “When was I at a hospital? Lilly would never take me to-”

“Last night. Bobby called us worried sick.” Sam frowns at her. “Lilly wasn’t with you, she was-” He shakes his head. “That’s not important right now. What happened last night?” 

Mae’s brow furrows in confusion. “I don’t understand. We got back from Thoth and Maat’s and we were in the kitchen. Lilly was cooking and I was working on a new piece…” That was it, it was blank after that. How did she get to bed; when did she go to bed?

Sam studies her for a moment. Did the angels get to her too? That didn’t make sense. She wouldn’t have ended up in the hospital. “Jody…” He pauses. “Whoever the fuck she is, called Bobby worried because someone tipped her off that you were ODing in their back seat, and they didn’t know what to do, because they didn’t want Lilly to kill them.”

Mae shakes her head. “Jody’s a family friend, and the sheriff.”

Sam groans. Great, all they needed was cops showing up at a house that an angel and two gods popped in and out of sporadically, and seeing him and Dean who were legally declared dead after being posted on the most wanted lists. “Of course she is… That isn’t the point though. Do you really not remember anything about last night?” He frowns at her.

Mae shakes her head. “I think someone rang the doorbell. Lilly- I remember being surprised that someone was out here that late.”

Sam frowns at that. “We need to know as much about what happened last night as possible Mae. I really don’t wanna have Castiel look, but if someone messed with your memories we need to know.”

Mae scrunches her face. “I don’t know. It’s all blurry and I’m just so tired Sam.”

Sam sighs as he pulls her closer, unsure what to do. 

“I think Lilly grabbed a holy soaker.” She pouts, trying her best to remember.

“What is a holy soaker?” Sam asks with a frown.

“A super soaker filled with holy water. She doesn’t like guns, and they’re pointless anyways… So we made a couple of weapons while you guys were away… It’s what we used to rescue Castiel when he was ejected from Jimmy...” 

Sam grimaces at that, suddenly conjuring the image of Mae and Lilly storming a demon filled building with children’s toys. He groans. “Okay…” He shakes his head.

“We made salt water soakers too.” Mae explains. “Well, Lilly made those.”

Sam sighs as he tugs Mae closer. What the hell did these two do when they weren’t around. “Do they work?” He can’t help but to ask.

“Yep. Demons don’t like salt or holy water sprayed in their mouths.”

Sam makes a noise of disapproval, but shakes his head. “That’s being shelved for later discussion. Do you remember what happened after Lilly threatened the bell ringer with a child’s toy?”

“Holy soaker.” Mae corrects him before she frowns and shakes her head. “I’m sorry Sam, that’s all I remember...”

Sam’s brows furrow. “That isn’t good.” He sighs as he lays his head back on the pillow and stares at the ceiling. Lilly was taken, and something bad must have happened to Mae if she couldn’t remember anything. As much as he wasn’t happy with some of Lilly’s choices he really couldn’t see her abandoning Mae. He lets out a small noise of frustration and worry as he finds himself hoping Lilly had more pieces, and was better with recollecting what had happened last night. His frown deepens. He wasn’t even sure how long Dean and her had been stuck in the future. Bobby said he’d be at Mystic by two, and that he was expecting answers. He was worried that if Lilly didn’t remember they’d all be left in the dark and even more paranoid than they were now.

Mae sits up and slowly scoots forward on Sam’s chest until she can look down into his eyes. “What happened to Lilly?”

Sam sighs as he looks at Mae, his eyes meeting hers in silence as he studies her for a moment. “I’m not really a hundred percent sure. I just know the bare bones of it.” He admits with a sigh. “She got lifted by Zachariah along with Dean, and dropped in the future. But they’re both back now. It’s why I need to know what you remember. We need to know what happened last night.” 

Mae frowns. “Did he get in the house?”

“We’re not sure, but Castiel checked the wards last night and assured us they hadn’t been tampered with.” Sam admits with a sigh. “It’s the only reason we’re still here. That and the fact Cass is pretty low on juice. He did a lot of traveling last night.”

“Poor Cass. He’s always pulled away from his mission.” Mae attempts to fall to Sam’s side only to have Sam grip her by the hips.

“Sorry.” Sam smiles sheepishly at her. “I just got you back.” He admits with a small frown. “I thought you had been taken too.”

“I wasn’t going anywhere, I was just going to let you breath.” Mae assures him as she reaches down to caress his face with one hand.

“You don’t weigh that much.” Sam smiles at her as he leans into her palm. “Bobby’s gonna be here around two though. We have a lot of catching up to do…” He pauses. “And with you not remembering last night, it’s up to Lilly to fill in the rest of the pieces, and that’s being optimistic.” 

“I can ask Cass or Thoth to try and find the memories for you.” Mae offers before she leans down to kiss his forehead.

Sam’s brows furrow at the thought, his face showing his disapproval before he just sighs. “We might have too…” He admits in resignation. 

Mae gives him a small frown. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“It’s not your fault.” Sam shakes his head. “We’ll see what happens this afternoon, assuming Lilly wakes up.”

“I thought you said she was alright?” Mae asks in confusion. 

“Thoth had her.” Sam breathes out. “I don’t know how long she’s been sleeping.” He admits with a sigh. “But this might end up changing some things. Dean’s… He doesn’t want us far from one another.” He admits as he gestures towards the open door.

Mae looks over her shoulder but shrugs. “We knew we couldn’t stay here forever.”

Sam sighs as he pulls Mae closer. “Wanna sleep more, or get up?” He asks her his eyes sweeping over her face.

“Sleep. I haven’t been this exhausted in a long time.” Mae admits as she nuzzles her face into his chest. 

Sam nods as he slowly releases her waist, letting her adjust and settle to the side of him so she would be more comfortable before he protectively curls around her, pulling her close. “Sounds good to me baby.” He lightly rubs his nose into her hair, content to fall asleep with her citrus and vanilla scent enveloping him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again guys, I am so sorry. Check back on Friday for a bonus 'Dark is really sorry for not finishing the last steps of posting' chapter. Until then, be sure to let us know what you think. We know we have a lot going on in this chapter, but we really want to hear what you guys think about our take on 'The End'. Lots of love guys.


	25. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This week... SOML... Here's the apology chapter...

61

Lilly wakes with a low groan, her body still stiff and sore. She opens her eyes, blinking for a moment as she takes in Dean’s wall. She smiles when she feels an arm pulling her closer, and turns to see familiar green eyes looking at her.

“Hey there beautiful.” Dean grins as he pulls her closer to him.

“Mornin’ Tex.” Lilly smiles as she makes herself turn; her arms wrap around his neck, as she nuzzles into his chest.

“How ya doin’?” Dean asks as he presses his lips to her head. “That was an intense trip.”

Lilly stays tucked into his chest and thinks about his question for a moment, and enjoys his scent, until she realizes he smelled more like dirt than she remembered. She instantly pulls back with a frown and notices he’s still in his clothes. Her nose crinkles as she pulls away and looks down, finding herself in the band tee she’d been wearing for the last three days. Her entire body stiffens with disgust as she instantly releases him, and rolls off the bed. “Ew.” She mumbles as she looks at Dean with disgust. “You- But- We don’t even know-I have to burn everything now.” She pouts. 

“Really?” Dean rolls his eyes and rolls off the bed. “It- come on babe, I’m sorry. I was so tired. And then I freaked because we couldn’t get you and we couldn’t find Mae and-”

“Okay.” Lilly lifts her hands defensively. “I can’t beleive you slept with me…” She frowns. “I’m disgusting. I smell. I’m dirty. I’m taking a shower.” 

“I wasn’t letting you outta my arms after Thoth dropped you off.” Dean shakes his head before he looks over at her and smiles. “Calm down Lilly, you’re not that bad. Let’s just get a shower. And you’re not burning my bed. I like this bed.”

“I’m buying you a new bed Dean.” Lilly frowns at him. “A clean bed.” 

“But, but this one remembers me.” Dean frowns.

Lilly frowns as she thinks about it. “I’ll try steam cleaning it then…” She sighs as she turns to head to the bathroom. 

“We just slept on top of the blankets.” Dean grumbles as he follows after her.

“And I hope you weren’t attach to those.” Lilly sighs.

“But I am.” Dean pouts. “They’re mine.” 

“I’ll buy you better ones.” Lilly sighs as she looks over her shoulder and gives the wrinkled blankets a look of disgust.

Dean sighs before he looks down at his jacket. “Hey whoa. I’ll do my own laundry this time.” He argues. This was his dad’s. 

Lilly looks up with a frown. “I’m not going to burn your jacket Dean… The rest though...”

“We’re saving the flannel jacket too.” Dean demands.

Lilly sighs. “If you insist.”

“And the blankets?”

“No.” Lilly states as she turns on the faucet.

“Oh come on, it was one of the first gifts you ever gave me.” Dean continues to argue as he hangs his jackets up and starts peeling his shirts off.

Lilly looks over her shoulder and her frown instantly shifting to a smile as she see’s him undressing. “I really don’t mind buying new ones. They’ll be softer…” She argues as she tests the water.

“I’m not even gonna win this naked am I?” Dean asks as he teasingly hooks his thumbs into his jeans.

“Mmm. Maybe… But only because you seem oddly attached to them and I’m not a complete monster…” Lilly sighs as she peels off her shirt, and holds it between two fingers her face pulled in disgust. “But mine. I’m burning.” She says as she walks over to the trash can and drops it.

“Sounds fair.” Dean shakes his head as he steps out of his jean and boxers. He grabs his socks and adds them to the burn pile. If that’s what it took to make her feel better, but a guys had limits.

Lilly smiles, as she moves to unclasp her bra, and pulls it off. She frowns however when she notices the purple Lily fall at her feet. She sighs as she leans down and carefully scoops it off the ground.

“Gods Lilly, what the hell happened to your back?” Dean gently puts a hand on her shoulder as he surveys the massive bruise that was peeking out from under her low riding skirt and the mottle of others spread over her upper back..

Lilly frowns as she looks over her shoulder. “The house.” She sighs as she drops her bra in the trash with her other hand. She stands and turns to the sink and gently puts the flower on the counter. She looks back at Dean and frowns as a blush suddenly covers her face. Why hadn’t she thought about this earlier? She sighs as she shifts in discomfort.

“Well yeah, I guess that explains these. But this one looks bad.” Dean hooks his thumbs into her skirt and pulls it down. “Damn Lilly. You’re black and blue down to the back of your knees.” His brow furrows. What could have hurt her like this. This couldn’t have been from hitting the house. This was a lot of blunt force over a long time. “This is….”

Lilly shifts as she steps out of the skirt and picks it up and drops it in the trash can as well. She ducks her head and heads to the shower.

“You’re soaking first.” Dean pulls her back to him gently.

“Ew.” Lilly frowns. “That’s disgusting Dean.” She sighs.

“Fine. Shower first, but then you are soaking. This looks really bad Lilly. How the fuck are you even walking?”

“I’m fine Dean.” Lilly sighs as she shifts in discomfort her blush intensifying.

“No, you’re not you little liar. Was this me? Was this something future me did?” Dean puts a finger under her chin and slowly lifts until she looks up at him. His eyes sweeping over her blush and noting where she was starting to hive. “Come on babe, it’s just me here. Talk to me.”

Lilly looks down. “Why does it matter.” She frowns. 

“Because I need to know if I could ever do this to you.” Dean admits honestly.

Lilly shifts in discomfort. That’s what she had been fearing he was going to say. She should have told him to go back to bed. She sighs. “I hit a house Dean.” 

Dean takes a deep breath and lets it out very slowly. “Don’t do that Lilly. I can tell the difference between a body hitting a wall once and something blunt striking a body repeatedly.”

Lilly frowns. Why was he pushing this? To punish himself, for something he didn’t even do? She shifts again as she looks at the shower. She takes his hand and pulls him towards the shower, feeling instantly better once the hot water hits her. She looked down and grimaced at the color of the water before she picks up his loofah and pours an ample amount of body wash on it before she begins washing him. She’s silent for several moments before she makes her decision.

“I do not do well with being ordered.” Lilly sighs as she continues washing him. “TFG Dean, didn’t do well with being questioned.”

Dean shudders and slowly shakes his head. “I see.” Could he ever really get that bad? TFG Dean had assured him he could, and would if he ever lost Lilly. He sighs. “Lilly… What do you know about cupids?”

Lilly pauses as she looks up at Dean and frowns. “I know they’re an order of angels. That they mark humans. I know we got marked.” She shrugs. “But besides that, no, not much.” She finishes as she continues washing him.

Dean tilts his head to the side. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Lilly narrows her eyes in thought. “I wasn’t sure how you would feel knowing that they’d marked us like that. When I asked Thoth and he told me the marks were permanent, I didn’t want you to feel forced to stay if you ever wanted to break up or leave.” She finally breathes out as she moves to wash his back. She didn’t bother sharing the rest of that conversation though. The part where Thoth had rolled his eyes at her immaturity, and questioned why she cared when according to her religion they had already been married. “And I found it stupid.” 

Dean turns and grabs her wrist before he bends to claim her lips; kissing her passionately and deeply. “I don’t care about the marks either Lilly. I know what I need, I didn’t need another connection to see what I have.” He explains when he finally lets her breath again.

Lilly can’t help the stupid smile on her face from the kiss. “I just didn’t see the point in bothering you with something that didn’t matter…” 

Dean sighs deeply. “It might have been what was wrong with me- Him.”

Lilly tilts her head to the side as she looks up at him confused. “Okay… And now I’m lost.” She admits with a frown. 

“I found out my mom and dad were also marked. Dad went crazy after mom died. Apparently I also went crazy.” Dean gestures to her back. “We defiantly have a lot of evidence to support that.”

Lilly blush returns as she averts her gaze and shifts guiltily, she pulls her wrist free as she continues washing him.

“In a way though, it makes me feel better. Not that he hurt you.” Dean shakes his head. “But I know I could never hurt you like that. He wasn’t me. I still have you.”

“I was more upset about the other things he was doing.” Lilly admits as she focuses on his back.

“Well, as long as I have you, we’ll never have to worry about me turning on Mae and Sam either.” Dean points out.

Lilly looks up at him and frowns, but also chooses not to bring up the rest of it. “Heard.” She breathes as she falls quiet and continues to wash his back.

After a while Dean turns and picks up her loofa and favorite soap to return the favor by scrubbing her back. “I’m never spanking you again.” He admits as he softly scrubs the dirt and grime off her skin.

A noise of disapproval leaves Lilly’s lips before she can stop herself. Her skin instantly back to the bright red as she’s flooded with embarrassment and guilt.

“What?” Dean takes a step away from her, not sure if he had scrubbed to hard or if he had upset her.

“Nothing.” Lilly can’t help the pout on her lips, as she shifts with discomfort. Why was she being punished?

Dean lifts an eyebrow. “Uh huh.” He shakes his head but continues to gently scrub her back. “You wanna try that again, this time with the truth?”

“I just…” Lilly trails off as she continues to shift with guilt and embarrassment. “I-...” Her face turns a deeper red as hives spread across her chest. 

“Are you telling me you like it when I spank you Lilly?”

“Like that’s fuckin’ news.” Lilly sniffs indignantly.

Dean chuckles. “I guess not. I guess what I mean is, do you still want me to? You know, well after this has healed.”

“Well, I’m not asking for it.” Lill frowns. “That takes out all the fun.” She pouts.

Dean shrugs, unable to keep a small, smug smile off his lips. “You instigate don’t you.”

“No!” Lilly instantly denies.

Dean smug smile widens. “Oh you totally do.”

Lilly shifts as she looks down. “No I don’t.” She denies with a pout.

“Yeah, uh huh.” Dean rolls his eyes before he rinses the loofa out and dabs more body wash on it.“I guess we’ll have to wait until you’re healed to find out who's right.”

Lilly shifts with guilt as she sweeps her eyes over Dean and she takes a deep breath. “TFG Dean…” She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “I-” She curses under her breath. She needed to tell him. She knew she did. She’d acted like such a slut. She blushes at the memory as guilt sweeps through her.

Dean’s smile fades to a frown. “What’s wrong babe?” He asks as he starts working his fingers into her back, finding little knots to work out.

Lilly closes her eyes. “I’m sorry.” She sighs as she turns and stops his hand. “I… I almost slept with him.” She admits quietly as she drops her eyes to the floor. “I’m sorry Dean.” 

Dean almost dismissed it immediately, but he knew better after the Sandover incident. She had felt bad about letting him comfort her, hug her, kiss her while his memories had been altered. He was still him, so he didn’t care, and had been dismissive of it back then. It didn’t help her though. So instead he thought about it for a few minutes before he answered her. “I can’t imagine how confusing that was for you. To be that lost, that displaced, and then to see me.”

Lilly shifts with discomfort and shakes her head, her eyes burning with shame. “I knew it wasn’t you…It was just-” She stops herself. He’d smelt the same. Lectured her the same. He’d tortured her in the sweetest ways the same. She shifted suddenly turned on by the memory, guilt and shame flooding her instantly. 

Dean pulls her into his arms. “Shhh. Let me finish.” He moves so she can stand under the water. “He was me Lilly. He was. It wasn’t a trick, it wasn’t a shifter. It was me with five more years of hell under my belt. And apparently I still had certain ideas on how to get you to listen to me. I don’t know what I would have done if I had gone to the future and found you, and I was dead, and you pulled a you with all your sass and damned hot eyes and pouty lip. Gods Lilly, I don’t think I could have stopped myself. Does that make me a bad person?”

Lilly looks up at him her eyes bright with tears and shakes her head. 

“Even though I would know she wasn’t you?”

“It’s not the same Dean.” Lilly sighs as she looks down. 

“But it is Lilly. It’s exactly the same.” Dean shakes his head.

“No, it’s not.” Lilly sighs. “Your you and I’m me. I never thought in a million years I would find someone who would be interested in me. You’re…” She pauses. “Perfect. Anyone with eyes and an attraction to the male species would be all over you. I’m… Okay, so I’m not a troll, but I’m not… Desirable. You put up with so, so so fuckin’ much shit from me, shit no one would ever want to deal with, and I show my appreciation by spreading my legs like some common whore-” 

Dean frowns and shakes his head again as he puts a finger to her lips. “Whoa, stop. Lilly, I don’t think you see me clearly. I have nothing, literally nothing to offer you, to anyone. Girls only want me for a night, at best they fantasise about being with the bad boy. I’m the rebound guy. I’m the rebel against your parents guy. I’m not commitment material. I never thought I’d have someone either. Someone who would take time to actually get to know me, someone that would love me, love me Lilly. And yeah, sure, you’ve got your flaws Lilly, but fuck, so do I. I have them in fucking spades Lilly. I kill things that look like humans, hell, I kill innocent people every time I kill a demon. I’m not boyfriend material. I’m a fucking psychopath. But you, you know what I do, you see the real me, the anger and guilt and darkness, and you still love me. Lilly, babe, you are breaking my heart with this nonsense that I’m better than you. I’m not. I don’t deserve you. But I’m never letting you go either. And I don’t want to hear that you think that because you almost slept with me five years in the future that you’re a whore. Lilly, you saw me, you saw all that darkness in me and you still didn’t shrink away. You love me, and he was still me. Don’t do this to yourself.” 

Lilly frowns as she studies him. “I don’t think you really see yourself Dean.” She sighs against his finger. “You may have played rebound guy, and all those other things, but that’s only because you…” She looks down. “You are so much more than you give yourself credit for-” She shakes her head. “And you deserve more loyalty than what I’ve given you.” She shifts as she lowers her eyes. “I think-” 

Dean growls and grabs her by her shoulders. “What have you done that makes you feel disloyal Lilly? I am so confused. You felt guilty because I hugged you and kissed you at Sandover. Me. I have those memories. And now it that I beat the hell out of you and you almost slept with me, but didn’t-” He pauses as he looks her over. “Here, how’s this, if I ever find out that you even wink at a guy is in no way shape or form somehow me, I’ll be mad. I’ll fly off the handle in a jealous rage. Is that what you want Lilly?”

“No.” Lilly shakes her head. “And I would like to think I’d never do that to you...”

“Then stop. Lilly, I know you love me. It’s like the surest thing I’ve ever known. I’m happy and content. I love you fiercely. I have no doubt in my mind that you are mine. You’re not disloyal, you’re being ridiculous.”y

Lilly frowns. “No, I’m not. It’s literally the least I can do, and I find myself even failing at that. One smell. One lecture. One smack and I was all hot and fuckin’ heavy-” She shakes her head in disgust with herself. “You deserve better than that.” 

“You failed me because you wanted to sleep with me?” Dean looks down at her incredulously. “Do you even hear what you’re saying?”

“It wasn’t you though.” Lilly frowns. 

“But it was Lilly. He was me.” Dean continues to argue. “He drank the same whiskey I drink, he still had my dad’s pistol and shotgun. He still cleaned them regularly. He kept the same lock picks and knives. Lilly, he still had my jacket. He is me. I will become him, hopefully with some differences. Hopefully I’ll make better decisions, but it was me. Every time, it’s always me. Sandover was me. Those were my thoughts that were attracted to you. I was still me, my history had just been a little rewritten.” He shakes his head. “Gods babe, do you know how it feels to know that, no matter what, you’ll always love me, want me?”

Lilly absently bites her thumb as she thinks about it. Was it the same? She wasn’t sure it was.

“Stop that!” Dean orders as he pulls her thumb from her mouth and sticks it in his mouth instead.

Lilly blinks as she looks up at him. “Are you sure… Because it still seems pretty shitty to me.” She narrows her eyes slightly in thought. “You deserve better than that... You put up with so much, sacrifice so much... ” She sighs as she attempts to pull her hand back. “I love you so much it hurts sometimes…” She shifts with discomfort. “I just- I feel like you deserve better.” 

Dean narrows his eyes at her. He sucks and runs his tongue over her thumb before he lets her pull it away. He sighs. “Thank you Lilly. Thank you for loving me.” He smiles and shakes his head. “I don’t know how to convince you that you’re wrong about this.” He shrugs and gives her a boyish grin. “Guess I’ll just have to prove that you are everything I will ever want, and hope that you’re right, that somehow I am awesome enough to actually deserve you. Since you think I deserve better.” 

Lilly lifts her brow. “That’s not what I meant Dean.” She frowns. “You don’t need to prove anything-” 

Dean leans down and sucks her nipple into his mouth, effectively interrupting her before she can continue not making sense.

“D-Dean.” Lilly moans as her hands press firmly to his shoulders. “We we-wer-” She sighs, growing frustrated in more than one way as he ignores her. Her eyes sweeping over him in confusion.

Dean looks up at her and releases her with a wet smack of his lips. “Yes Lilly?”

Lilly licks her lips as she blinks down at him, watching as the water dripped down his face and followed that bead, before she pulls her eyes away. “I-” She blushes when she realizes she didn’t remember what she’d been trying to say. “I don’t remember what I was saying…” She admits with a pout.

“Ah. Success! It’s okay babe, you weren’t making any sense anyway.” Dean smiles as he straightens up and starts washing her again. “But what I want you to remember is that your flawed and that I’m flawed and that’s just gonna have to be okay. Because I ain’t letting you go.”

Lilly can’t help the smile that tugs at her lips. “You’re such a dork.” She grumbles with a blush, even as she reaches up and caressed his jaw.

Dean bends and rubs his scruffy cheek against hers. “But I’m your dork.”

“Lucky me.” Lilly smiles as she nuzzles him back.

Dean chuckles. “Feel clean enough to soak?”

Lilly thinks about before she nods.

“Awesome. Out you.” He laughs and turns the showerhead off so he can clean the tub.”

“I can do it Dean.” Lilly frowns when she realizes what he was intending to do. 

“You…” Dean turns and points at her, the tip of his finger brushing against the swell of her cleavage. “Can lean yer pretty self against a wall or somethin’ and let me take care of it. Unless you don’t trust me to do it right.”

Lilly frowns as she let’s out a sigh, but concedes and steps out of the shower, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her. She turns and makes a show out of leaning against the wall.

Dean smiles and gets to work ‘properly’ sanitize the tub so she could enjoy a bath. He had plans for the rest of the day. Plans that now included a healthy dose of making her forget that she ever felt less than him. A long soak in the tub, a little doctor play to get those bruises healing, and a long massage was in Lilly’s future, even if she didn’t know it yet.

Lilly can’t help but enjoy watching him clean and wonders if she had some other weird fetish, as she watched the water slide off his contracting muscles as he scrubbed the tub. He was too fucking sweet to her sometimes. She really didn’t know what she had done to deserve him. She wasn’t sure anyone had ever been so accommodating to her, even Mae had her limits with her quirky desire that everything be just so. She really had felt awful for what had transpired between her and TFG Dean, but if he wished to just drop it, she supposed she would have to do that. It really hurt her to know Dean has such a low opinion of himself, when he was so much better than anything she could have ever dreamed of in a partner. Even when she fucked up horribly he just took it in stride. She envied that about him. He just always kept moving forward with that bright smile of his, even if he didn’t have anything to be smiling about. 

“Is this good babe?” Dean asks, standing up so she could look his work over.

Lilly steps forward and sweeps her eyes over the tub to humor him. “Yeah, thank you Dean.” She smiles as she leans forward and kisses his chest.

With a small smile Dean rinses the tub with the showerhead and plugs the drain so he could fill it. “What bath salts do you want to use? I’m not sure what your bruises need.” He frowns as he walks over to the counter to search through the jars she had in his bathroom, sniffing at the contents as he removed lids. 

Lilly chuckles as she walks over and hands him the one with green salt. “Eucalyptus.” She smiles at him. 

Dean takes the jar with a smiles and turns to dump the whole thing in.

Lilly let’s out a squeak her hands come up. She would smell like it for weeks.

“I’m kidding.” Dean chuckles. “It’s like a handful right?”

Lilly pouts at him. “S’not funny Dean. It’s a really strong scent.”

He sniffs it and shrugs. “I like it.” He grabs a handful and sprinkles it into the slowly filling tub. He hands her back the jar and sits on the edge of the tub to mix the salts into the water.

Lilly takes the jar and returns it to it’s spot on his sink, before she returns to stand next to him and starts playing with his hair. “I think it’s too earthy.” She admits as the smell of eucalyptus surrounds them.

“I like the one that smells like vanilla that you use.”

“That’s…” Lilly scrunches her nose as she thinks about it. “I think it’s from baking so much. I usually use sandalwood.”

“Yeah, that smell. It’s those two scents.” Dean chuckles. “I walked into an incense shop once and had to adjust my fed jacket. That was awkward. I’m sure Sammy saw it.”

Lilly can’t help the laugh at the mental image. “I’m sure the girls in the shop wouldn’t have minded. I know I wouldn’t have when you first walked into our shop.”

Dean grins up at her. “I’m pretty sure, correct me if I’m wrong. But I’m pretty sure that if I had popped a boner in your shop that first day I would not be able to tease you about salty coffee and meat pies. You would have hived and hit the ground.”

Lilly blushes and bristles slightly. “No I-” She pauses as she thinks about it and closes her mouth. “It would have saved me the embarrassment of salty coffee…”

Dean laughs and stands up. “But I love that joke. It’s the easiest way to get you and Mae to blush.”

“It’s not my fault my mind sinks to the gutter everytime I look at you.” Lilly grumbles as she looks down with a pout. 

“It’s okay babe. My mind lives in the gutter. It cleans itself up just for you.” He teases.

“Oh shut it.” Lilly sniffs indignantly. 

Dean chuckles and makes a move as if he was going to grab her before he stops. “Right. Bruises.” He sits back at the edge of the tub and swirls the water with his arm again before he adjusts the faucet, turning to to hot.

“They really don’t hurt that much Dean. I think they look worse than they actually are.” Lilly sighs as she moves and sits on his lap.

Dean smiles and rubs her arm. “I’m glad they aren’t hurtin’ ya, but I’m not playing Lilly-ball until they’re healed.”

Lilly pouts. “I am not a ball.” She frowns her nose twitching slightly at the reminder of Killian, that smug fucking prick. She groans, as she looks up the ceiling, before her eyes widen in surprise and she looks back at Dean. “Killian. Fuck. Was Mae home?” She asks guilt sweeping through her as she quickly stands and starts for the door. 

Dean frowns and grabs Lilly by the arm. “Mae’s sleeping with Sam. Is this the same Killian that Mae danced with at the club you sold cupcakes to?”

Lilly turns as she looks at Dean. “She’s back?” She asks with a frown. 

Dean nods. “We’ll piece the story together later Lilly. Castiel got and brought her home. She’s safe and sleeping with Sam in his room right across the hall.”

“Oh.” Lilly sighs with relief as she runs her hand through her hair. “Heard.”

“Why did Lilly-ball make you think of Killian?” Dean asks as he pulls her back into his lap.

Lilly’s face scrunches at the memory. “I’m sick of being travel sized, that-” She takes a deep breath. “He invited himself over, because we told him we couldn’t deal with him.” She sighs. “Then he just plucked me up and waltzed out the door, like the fuckin’ ass hole he is.” She frowns. “I am not a damned ball.” She pouts, as she leans over and turns off the water.

Dean sighs. Of course everything could just pick her up and carry her off. She was just so short, and so tiny. She’d never put the weight back on that she had once had, and she’d never been big by any means. Just adorable with sexy curves. 

Lilly crosses her arms as she watches Dean’s expression. “Imma get fat.” She frowns when he doesn’t say anything. “I’m talkin’ beach ball status.” She grumbles, as she glares up at him accusingly, because now that she's thinking about, Dean had done the same time and time again. He’d even nicknamed it. Her frown deepened. “Lilly-ball.” She grumbles under her breath indignantly.

Dean can’t stop the laughter that spills out of his mouth. “Oh babe. I would love that. Me and you, all the pies. I’d still be able to pick you up though.” His stomach starts to hurt with how hard he was laughing. “I’d miss playing Lilly-ball too much.” He stutters to get out between bouts of laughter.

“This is not a game Dean.” Lilly reprimands with a glare. “I’m seriously gettin’ fat.” She frowns as she glares at him.

“Ah, that’s a great idea Lilly.” Dean continues to laugh, tears rolling down the sides of his face. “Sam and I need to come up with rules.” He drags in breath. “We’ll make it all offical.”

Lilly’s eyes narrow as they flash gold with indignation. “Dean.” She warns between clenched teeth. “This isn’t funny.” She snaps at him, as she attempts to move away from him. “I’m not a damned frisbee.” She growls.

Dean lets out a slow breath, doing his best to contain the laughter still pushing to escape. He pulls her closer, hugging her against him as he tucks her head into his shoulder so she couldn’t see his face. “I’m sorry, it ain’t funny.” He quickly agrees, unable to say anything else to her for fear of losing control.

“Are you?” Lilly questions suspiciously into his chest. When she feels his muscles contracting under her head she narrows her eyes in anger and pulls away from him. She starts swatting at him. “You fucking ass hole! Don’t laugh at me! I didn’t ask to be this short! This isn’t funny. It’s a damn handicap, you jerk!” She snaps. “It wouldn’t be funny if you were constantly tossed around and picked up like a damn baseball!” She hisses indignantly.

“Lilly, I’m sorry. I love you, don’t...” Dean finally can’t hold it in anymore, and he starts laughing again. “I’m sorry, I can’t help it, you’re just so fucking adorable.” He pulls her in again, curling around her in an attempt to avoid her blows.

“You jerk!” Lilly growls her face red with embarrassment, as she starts hitting him harder when he just laughs harder. “I am not adorable. I am not an accessory! I am an adult woman! And I don’t wanna be treated like a damned ball!”

“Lilly, stop, Lilly stop.” Dean gets out in between his laughter, sliding around on the side of the tub, trying to get a better grip on her. “Stop, Lilly- ahhhh.” He shouts as he feels them both tip backwards into the tub. He flings his arms out, trying to brace her from hitting her head.

Lilly straddles Dean. “You're still laughing!” She yells at him, furiously.

“I can’t help it, I love you.” Dean says, laughing harder.

“Yes you can.” She argues as she grabs handfuls of his hair and dunks his head under the water, briefly. “Stop laughing!” She glares at him.

Dean kicks out his legs in surprise, knocking over the cabinet that held the towels. “Lilly!” Dean spits out a stream of water and tries to hold back a chuckle, but ends up failing miserably at the anger on her face. It was such a little, no pun intended, thing.

“Son of a bitch! Really! This isn't funny!” Lilly glowers.

“It’s kind of funny.” Dean tells her with a smile. He lets out another roar of laughter, feeling truly happy in this one moment. Even as he feels her shove his head back under the water.

“Is there a problem? There was quite a bit of noise, and I can feel your distress.” Lilly hears Cass asks from behind her.

“I’m waterboarding Dean.” Lilly growls, before she loosens her grip and lets him back up. “Stop laughing it’s not funny.” She glares at him.

“Lilly, it’s just- you’re so cu-” Dean laughs, sputtering out water.

“Why are you waterboarding Dean?” Cass asks as he picks her up by the towel knot on her back.

“Put me down! I am not a fucking burrito!” She hisses indignantly, as she struggles to get back to Dean. Her anger completely blinding her to the fact she was pretty damn exposed to the angel.

“You’re injured.” Castiel points out.

“Cass?” Dean asks trying to catch his breath, even as he tries to keep himself from laughing at Lilly’s new description of herself. “Let go of my delicious little burrito.” He chuckles as he pulls himself to sitting in the tub.

“Fuck you Dean! I am not a burrito!” Lilly snaps at him. “Castiel put me down! I’m not done, he’s still fuckin’ laughing!” She growls as she reaches for Dean. 

“Dean? What should I do? Her bruises are very bad.” Castiel asks as he adjusts so he had a better hold on her, his arm around her waist as she kicks and spit insults. 

“Heal her. She’s being a brat.” Dean chuckles. “You’re the one that called yourself a burrito babe. So what is it? Ball or burrito?”

“Don’t you fucking dare call me a brat you ass hole!” Lilly snaps at him before she looks up at Castiel. “Cass put me down!”

Castiel slowly lowers her feet to the flooded floor, turns her, taps her on the forehead and disappears. 

“I miss him being scared of me.” Lilly growls as she crosses her arms over her chest, and storms out of the bathroom in an indignant huff.

“I’m pretty sure that’s why he flew the fuck away.” Dean chuckles as he stands. “Oh come on babe. I’m sorry. Please come and soak. I made you a bath.”

Lilly turns and glares at him, her eyes molten gold. “Are you done?” She asks with a frown, her brow raised skeptically.

Dean quickly fixes a penitent look on his face and slowly nods with downcast eyes. “I’m sorry I laughed.”

Lilly’s eyes narrow, before she hangs her head and wipes at her brow. He wasn’t done. He didn’t feel bad. She shakes her head. But he was fucking adorable. She lets out a resigned sigh. “Liar.” She accuses. 

One corner of Dean’s mouth slowly twitched into a smile. He looked like the cat that ate the canary. “You love me anyways.”

“I will water board you again, at one more” Lilly holds up one finger. “And I mean one more snicker.” She threatens.

Dean sadly shakes his head. “I’m so doomed.” He raises his arms in a theatrical display of defeat. “I can’t help how happy you make me.”

Lilly stares at him for a moment, before she just sighs and walks over to him. “Castiel saw everything.” She sighs as she picks up a towel and wraps it around him and ties a secure knot around his waist. He was distracting her.

Dean shrugs. “I was naked, you were covered by a towel.”

Lilly looks up at him with a suspicious frown. “It’s still not funny.” She warns him. 

“You’re right. Let me make it up to you.” Dean easily picks her up and walks back into the tub. He twists the knot loose and slowly lowers her into the water. “I’ve got plans for you. Especially now that you’re all healed up.”

Lilly tries, but she can’t help the smile that tugs at her lips. “It’s not fair that you always win.” She pouts as she flicks water at him petulantly. “I can’t even stay mad, those stupid dimples.” She grumbles.

Dean smiles as he unknots his own towel and joins her. “Really? Just cause of my dimples?”

Lilly adjusts so he can slip into the tub behind her more comfortably. “No…” She admits with pout. “It’s definitely the whole package...I will say you do not play very fair.”

“You’re the one that brought water boarding into this.”

Lilly turns and glances up at him with a smile on her lips. “You’re the one who got hard from it...” She points out with a glint of amusement in her eyes. 

“Ya felt that huh?” Dean grumbles as he presses his face against her hair. “I kinda like when you take control Lilly. It’s fucking fun.”

Lilly chuckles at his embarrassment as she settles into him. “And I thought I had some fucked up kinks…” She teases him.

“Oh shut up.” Dean mutters as he pinches both of her nipples, smiling at the low moan as she pushes up against him. “I like our adventurous sex life.”

“I’m not complaining.” Lilly smiles as she relaxes against him. “Though if we can’t see this through, I suggest you press pause. I do not do well with teasing.” She warns as she looks up at him. 

“I said I had plans didn’t I?” Dean asks as he rests his chin next to her ear so he could whisper. “They changed after you were healed, but I’d like to think they only improved.”

Lilly smiles as she turns so that chests were against each other, her hand wrapping around the his cock that had been pressing against her. She would never admit it outloud, especially after that scene, but she had to admit being short occasionally had it’s perks. She slides further down his chest and dips her head under the water to wrap her lips around his length. She was pleased that her hidden intentions had finally come to fruition; she’d secretly hoped for something like this back when she’d helped Mae design the guy’s bathrooms. 

Dean shakes his head. “This was not part of the plan, but I guess I can be flexible.” He smiles as he leans back and lifts his hips so she could breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: We hope you guys are still enjoying Bakers, Hunters and Pie. Please let us know your thoughts so far, and stick around for tomorrow, because something big is going to get discussed. Lots of love guys!


	26. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A phone call with a 'business partner' gives Lilly more information than she bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, stating the week off right with a new chapter :)

62

Bobby looks down at his coffee cup and rolls his eyes. He’d been here waiting for over an hour, and though he’d spoken to Castiel, it seemed the angel didn’t know much more than he did. After the story Sam had given him last night he supposed he should let them all sleep as much as they could, but he wasn’t sure that’s what they were up to. It was the only thing that kept him from going upstairs and dragging their sorry asses down here to tell him what the fuck had happened.

Sam walks down the stairs looking scarred a few minutes later, followed by a blushing, grumbling Mae. They pause when they see Bobby at the table.

“Hey Bobby.” Mae greets with a smile as she walks over to hug him.

“Hey jit.” Bobby greets as he hugs her back. “Sam.” He adds when he pulls away from Mae.

“Hey Bobby. Sorry if you’ve been waiting. We woke up late.”

Bobby sighs. “I’ve had Cass keepin’ me company.” He shrugs as looks over to the angel who was playing with Lilly’s phone by the charger. 

“Cass.” Mae smiles and skips over to greet him as well, glad that he was still in one piece after tangling with Raphael again.

Castiel looks up and gives Mae a small smile. “Good morning Mae. How are you feeling?” 

“Better. Still kinda tired.” Mae shrugs.

Castiel nods. “Who is Devon?” He asks curiously.

Mae purses her lips to the side and gives Castiel a doe in the headlights look. “Uh…”

Bobby lets out a bark of laughter at the name. “Well, that fills in that blank.” He shakes his head as he gets up and walks over to Castiel. “Can I see the phone Cass?” He asks as he hold out his hand.

Mae tilts her head to the side. “What blank?”

Bobby looks at Mae with a raised brow. “Who found ya last night.” He tells her, as Castiel hands him the phone.

“Oh. Devon found me?” Mae frowns, wondering if it had been Devon at the door last night.

Bobby opens the phone and starts scrolling through Lilly’s messages. “Seems like.” He nods after confirming his suspicions before the phone vibrates as it receives yet another message. He texts the boy back, so he’d calm the fuck down; he’d sent Lilly over fifty texts.

“Lilly’s drug dealer found you?” Sam asks as he walks over to look over Bobby’s shoulder.

Mae shrugs. “I guess?”

“Killian.” Sam frowns when he sees the other man's name in a text. “You were with Killian last night.”

“Oh noo.” Mae’s face falls and she backs up, trying to give herself space to explain. “I swear, we- We told them we couldn’t do the cupcakes, that Lilly and I didn’t want to do them anymore and we didn’t leave- We saw Thoth and Maat but we weren’t going to leave the house and I don’t know what happened but we- Was it Devon at the door?”

Sam sighs as he walks over to Mae and pulls her close. “It’s okay.” He whispers into her hair. “I’m not mad at you.” He assures her before he looks over to Castiel and Bobby. “She doesn’t remember anything from last night.” He tells them with a frown as he holds Mae to him tightly.

Bobby’s eyes narrow at that. He didn’t like the sound of that at all. “Nothin’?” He asks with a frown.

Mae frowns as she shakes her head.

“Would you like me to look?” Castiel offers, as he steps past Bobby and walks over to Sam and Mae.

Mae nods. “Please?”

Castiel nods as his hand comes up to her temple and he closes his eyes in concentration. A bright spark cracks as it arcs between him and Mae, and he quickly withdraws his hand and looks down at his burnt fingers in confusion. 

Mae jumps at a small static shock discharge. “What was that?” She asks as she reaches up to rub at the slight sting.

“I- Do not know.” Castiel frowns as he looks at Mae curiously, before he turns to look at Sam and Bobby. “I cannot access her memories.” He frowns.

“Great.” Sam frowns. “What the fuck does that mean.” 

Castiel frowns. “I do not know.” He admits with a frown as he heals his fingers. “Are you okay Mae?” He asks her.

Mae nods. “It was like running across the carpet in socks and then touching the door knob.”

Bobby frowns at that. “Who the fuck is Killian?” He asks.

Mae grimaces. “He’s a DJ that runs pop up nightclubs.”

Bobby turns to Castiel. “Can ya go get Dean and Lilly please.”

“They are busy.” Mae quickly warns them.

“I don’t give a rats ass.” Bobby grunts. “We have questions needin’ answers. Someone messed with yer damn head.” 

Mae frowns and lowers her head, looking at her toes against the ceramic tile as if they were suddenly fascinating. 

Castiel nods and disappears from the room with a flap. A moment later a shriek is heard, and Castiel appears back in the same spot, as if he’d never left. “They are coming down.” He informs Bobby.

Mae turns and wraps her arms around Sam to hide her face.

“It’s okay baby. There’s just a lot of questions right now. And we need to know what’s going on.” Sam assures her as he hugs her tightly.

“You never said how the archangel hunt went.” Mae pulls back to look up at him.

“We trapped Raphael and left him in a ring of fire.” Sam informs her with a shrug. “So, not awful... But he doesn’t know where God is either…” He admits.

“No, he told me our father is dead.” Castiel frowns. “But that just can not be true. Someone brought me back as well as put this family on a plane. My father isn’t dead. He’s just… Missing”

Bobby curses. “Of fuckin’ course he is.” He shakes his head. That would have been too fucking simple. 

Mae shakes her head and reaches out to place her hand on Castiel’s forearm. “I’m sorry he didn’t know where God is Cass.”

“I have faith that I will find him.” Castiel responds, with an awkward shrug.

Mae smiles and squeezes his arm once before she drops her hand away.

Bobby shakes his head as he turns his attention back to Lilly’s messages, in hopes of finding new information.

Dean comes barreling down the stairs. “Mornin’, sorry bout that, what’d I miss?” He asks sheepishly.

“Mae can’t remember anything from last night, Devon is blowing up Lilly’s phone, Killian was mentioned and Cass got hurt trying to see Mae’s memories.” Sam quickly bullet points.

“Heard. I missed a lot.” Dean nods as he moves strategically behind Castiel as a red faced Lilly comes down a moment later, her golden eyes shooting daggers at Dean. 

“Sorry. I didn’t know this was a thing.” Lilly hisses as she continues to glare at Dean, before she turns and looks over to her other assembled family members. 

“So uh, do you remember what happened last night?” Mae asks with a slight grimace on her lips.

Lilly tilts her head at the question, as she thinks about the question. What night was last night to her?

“With Killian?” Sam prompts.

“Oh.” Lilly nods. “Yeah, I mean up to a point anyways. I don’t know what happened after I got taken though.” 

“When did we leave the house?” Mae asks. “Who was at the door?”

Lilly frowns at Mae. “Killian. You don’t remember?” She asks with a frown.

Mae shakes her head “Killian knows where we live?”

Lilly shrugs. “Well, probably not at first…” She narrows her eyes, “Devon knows though.” 

“Speaking of Devon.” Bobby holds Lilly’s phone up in front of him. “He’s been texting you all night apparently.”

Lilly looks to Bobby her eyes glancing at her phone. “Why?” She asks as she goes to take the phone.

“He was afraid you’d be mad at him for dropping Mae off at the hospital.” Bobby explains.

Lilly’s eyes widen in surprise. “Why the fuck was Mae at the hospital?” She demands as she turns to look at Mae.

Mae shrugs. “I don’t remember.” She quickly holds her hands up defensively.

“Accordin’ to Devon, Killian sent him to have her crash, and demanded he not look for you or bring her back home.” Bobby grunts as he scrolls through the phone. “But when she was unresponsive he got worried and called Jody, who by the way, also called and texted you several times, before she called me.” 

Lilly frowns. “Can I see my phone?” She asks as she holds out her hand.

“Please remember he’s a sweetheart.” Mae urges Lilly.

“He’s a drug dealer.” Sam scoffs.

“And everyone in this room, besides Mae, has killed someone. So drop the judgement.” Lilly scoffs as Bobby hands her the phone. She dials Devon, and isn’t surprised when he picks up on the first ring. “What the fuck happened last night man.” She hisses into the phone as she turns and walks out of the room. 

“Are you seriously just letting her walk outta here with that phone call Dean?” Sam asks in annoyance.

“Sammy, one day you’ll understand how scary short women can be.” Dean glares. Besides, he knew how to pick his battles, and this particular battle was not worth fighting.

“I did find her waterboarding him earlier.” Castiel frowns.

Bobby face palms. “What the fuck?” He groans.

Dean rolls his eyes. “I was trying to get her to soak in the tub because she was covered in bruises and uh… She didn’t like a nickname and the next thing I know I’m laughing and she’s seething and then I was half drowned.”

“She’s like a buck Dean.” Bobby gruffs in disapproval.

“I couldn’t stop laughing.” Dean shrugs. “She had total unfair advantage. So angry, so tiny, so adorable. It’s not fair.”

Mae laughs. She’d thought the same thing about Lilly several times. She just wasn’t brave enough to let Lilly know that.

Lilly walks back into the room as she clicks her phone shut. “She danced. That’s all. He swears his life on it.” She informs as she comes back into the room. “

“But why? And where were you? And why did we leave?” Mae asks in rapid fire frustration.

“Twenty fourteen. And we left cause you were following Killian around like a damn puppy, and he picked me up and dragged me out because I threatened to kill him.” Lilly grumbles in annoyance.

“I left the house?” Mae frowns.

“Yes, we both did.” Lilly shrugs. “If you would like to see the video of it, Devon gave me the website, you're pretty damn popular Chem. There’s apparently a website of your duets with Killian going ‘viral’ whatever the fuck that means.” She sighs, as she goes through her phone and begins texting Jody a lie about ‘last’ night.

“Oh no! What… Sprinkles... Why?” Mae shakes her head. If she’d danced the way she had the first time she’d been at Killian’s club, she was going to be in a lot of trouble with Sam.

Sam’s grip tightens around Mae as he glares at Lilly. “Can you be a little bit less nonplussed about your sister’s memories being altered?” He demands.

Mae stiffens at the word sister. Her heart races, beating at her ribs. She slowly brings her hands up to cover her mouth. It’s just a word It’s just a word It’s just a word. She holds her breath, trying to stay calm.

Lilly sweeps her eyes up at Sam as she continues texting, her eyes flashing gold before she just turns back to her phone. “Watch yer damn tongue ass hole.” She growls as she hits send, before she scrolls through her phone looking for Killian’s contact information. 

Sam opens his mouth to snap back at her, but suddenly his eyes widen and he looks down at Mae. “Sorry baby. It’s okay.” He says softly, instantly losing some of his anger at his own mistake. 

Lilly hits dial as she rolls her eyes and brings the phone up to her ear. “Give me a minute.” She sighs as she steps out of the room again. Her eyes widen slightly in surprise when he actually answers. 

“Cupcake! Sup with you. I thought you’d be dead or somethin’.” 

“Killian.” Lilly greets coldly.

“You sound... Not chill.”

“What happened to my sister’s memories.” Lilly hisses.

“What do you mean? Is she okay? I made sure she-”

“I mean the fact that she doesn’t remember anything Killian, don’t play fuckin’ stupid. I know you saw what happened, you asshole. What happened to my fuckin’ sister.”

“Damn, so fucking touched by an angel cunty.”

“Yeah, yeah, I fuckin’ am. I don’t have time for this shit. What happened to Mae.” Lilly growls. Of course he knew about angels. Of fucking course. Gods fuckin’ forbid she just go one day without making a gods damn mistake. She shouldn't have invited Mae to that damn club. She didn’t have time for whatever this shit was. 

“Look Cupcake, your sister is obviously fine-”

“Do you ever want me to bake for you again?” Lilly hisses out. 

“Is that even still on the table, I mean apparently you’re fucking friends with angels.”

Lilly closes her eyes as she groans. “How the fuck do you even know he was a damn angel? Wait- I don’t even wanna know. Just tell me what you did to Mae.” 

“Why’s it gotta be something I did. Fucking angels running around pulling cupcakes outta cars. But oh yeah sure, fucking automatically blame me.”

Lilly curses “Dude! I don’t have fuckin’ time to play these games right now. This is fuckin’ so above your pay grade it ain’t funny. Tell me what you did to my fuckin’ sister.” She spits into the receiver.

The line is quiet for several seconds. “Look. I knew what she was right away, but you. What the hell are you? What do the angels want with you? Cause it sure isn't for your damned cupcakes.”

Lilly take a deep breath as she processes that. He knew Mae was fae? How? Even Thoth, a god of knowledge, and Castiel an angel of the fuckin’ lord had been stumped by her presence. What the fuck was she dealing with? They didn’t have time to fuck around with this prick. “Damn it Killian, just tell me what you did ta my damn sister. I really don’t have time for these fuckin’ games. It’s like you said, and I just escaped from angel games and I’m ready to rip through a couple more bitches. Do you really wanna be added to that list?”

“Such an adorable, bitchy little cupcake. You really expect me to believe you ‘escaped’ the angels?”

“Would I be fuckin’ talkin’ to you if I hadn’t?”

“Unless they let you think you escaped…”

“Angel’s don’t work on me like that you ignorant fuck.” Lilly seethes. One more lie. She needed answers.

“Well, I would know that if I knew what the fuck you were.”

“A hot fuckin’ mess with psychopathic tendancies and a fuckin’ grudge streak that makes Liam Neeson look like a bitch.” Lilly growls into the phone, “What did you do to my sister?”

“But you already have the baby fae back. Problem solved.”

“No. Not problem solved. Do you know how many people are gonna be out for your blood if I don’t get these answers.”

“No? Why don’t you tell me…”

Lilly narrows her eyes and chews her lip. “Winchesters. Angels. Gods.”

The line is silent for several long seconds, “What… The… Fuck... Cupcake.”

“I told you we had boyfriends ya fuckin’ ignorant ass hole.” 

“What on that fucking god awful list are you two dating?!”

“Just tell me what happened to Mae, I’d hate to see you dead when we have such a lucrative relationship.” 

“What are you and baby fae dating?”

“What happened to Mae? I’d really hate to see that pretty face of yours fucked up. I don’t think you’d be nearly as popular.” 

Killian groans. “Fine! It’s a memory block. Just a memory block. What the fuck is up with you two?”

“Why’d it zap our angel?” Lilly snaps.

“Because it was suppose to? Is she dating a fucking angel? Of course she’s dating a fucking angel. That’s some dangerous shit for someone like her.”

“She’s not dating an angel… Wait, how did- No, not important now- Why?” Lilly can’t stop herself. 

“Oh no. I am not getting into this with you until you start answering my questions too. I can be useful, but you know… I don’t like being threatened.”

Lilly rolls her eyes. “And I don’t like my family being fucked with…” She growls. “But fine. You wanna know shit? Fine. But it’s gonna put you more at risk…”

Killian starts laughing. “Oh no. That is so not how the world works. The less you know the more at risk you are.”

“I don’t have the best track record. A lot of my family doesn’t trust my judgement, and in all actuality, you are lucrative, and I don’t completely loathe you…So...” 

“I’m a big boy. I can handle it. You want what I know about biddy baby Mae? What the fuck are you fucking, and what the hell are you friends with?”

“Winchesters.” Lilly sighs. “Gods, a few more veteran hunters, and fallen angels in that order.”

“How is a fucking baby fae dating a Winchester? How are you dating a Winchester? What the fuck are they doing not killing you two? Or your friends? It’s kinda what they fucking do. What kind of fucking luck do you two have?”

“We’re persuasive.” Lilly rolls her eyes. “And as for luck, it’s a pendulum.” She sighs as she drags her hand through her hair. 

“Ah, actually that makes sense. Baby fae could probably talk anyone into liking her, if she ever figures out how to use her shit.”

“What the fucks that s’posed ta mean?” Lilly hisses. “Are you fuckin’ fae?” She asks in disbelief. Shit. Fuck. It didn’t matter what she said now, Thoth was gonna sniff him out like a damn dog.

“Well that took you awhile. Yeah. Like, ya know, distantly, distantly related to Mae.”

What the fuck was distantly supposed to mean? “You’re not like related to her related to her right?” She asks with apprehension her mind instantly flashing to Vincent and how well that had panned out.

“Uh fuck no. One, she’s half human. Two she’s a Sylph. Good kith. Usually Seelie, rarely ever unseelie, certainly never the plant ones anyways.”

Lilly pauses. What the fuck was that? Seelie, unseelie? Shit. He had quickly gone back to having the upper hand here. That wasn’t good. At this point any information for Mae about her heritage would only be helpful. She wasn’t even sure what Mae could and couldn’t do, and that wasn’t good either. 

“Did her mother never explain this shit to her?”

“How do you know it was her mother?” Lilly asks suspiciously.

“Old legend. Like a fairy tale for Fae.”

“What legend?” Lilly demands. 

“So was her mother the Sylph?”

“Why does it matter?” Lilly asks suspiciously.

“I wanna know if the legends are true.”

“What legends?” Lilly asks again in annoyance.

“Dammit cupcake. I knew I should have fucking looked around while I was in there.”

“Fuck. I don’t need to hear that.” Lilly curses. “We’re so off topic. Just tell me what you did to her, so I can come up with something so Sam doesn’t slaughter you please.”

“Ugh, Sam? Isn’t he the tall one?”

“Yeah the tall one.” 

“So you’re the one with good taste.”

“You stay the fuck away from Dean.” Lilly hisses at his tone. Fucking male monster’s and wanting Dean. It was always fucking Dean.

“Jesus fucking christ cupcake! Take a fucking compliment.”

“Dammit Killian, just tell me what you did to Mae.” 

“Look, the memory thing it was just to protect me from angels okay. I thought, correctly apparently, that you two might be too fucking friendly with ‘em or something. Which is weird, because us fae don’t exactly have the greatest history with those winged lil’ brats. It must be because she’s a half. She ain’t fucking with archangels is she?”

Lilly narrows her eyes. “Not if I can help it, no.” She growls her mind instantly flashing to pregnant TFG Mae. Over her dead body was she- Oh wait… She lets out an exasperated sigh.

“Well then she’s probably fine. Anyway, the memory loss, I can fix it later. And besides the shock, it’s not going to hurt anyone.”

Lilly frowns as she pinches the bridge of her nose. “So why the fuck did you send her off with Devon, and why the fuck did she end up in the damn hospital? You know why that ain’t good.”

“Ah, well. I wanted her to be with someone I trusted that I knew you trusted too, but I didn’t tell the kid ta drop her off at the hospital. I told him to keep her at his place till he....” Killian trails off before he chuckles. “Guess we know who Devon is more afraid of… That’s impressive Cupcake. You have that poor kid thinkin’ you’d actually kill him.”

Lilly narrows her eyes. “Psychopathic tendencies.” She responds nonchalantly. “So, what’d you do to make her so fuckin’ outta it, that he dropped her off there?”

“She was just exhausted from dancing. She’s a very spirited baby.”

Lilly frowns. “And you did nothing to her?” She asks skeptically. “Because the Winchester’s will be the least of your worries if I get caught in a damn lie and Sam fuckin’ kills me for protecting you.” She warns, pretty confident that Thoth would murder him for making his life more difficult. “So tell me the damn truth now, otherwise it’s your head on the choppin’ block if you don’t spit it out.” She growls.

“Fuck, fine. Mae needs certain types of energy right? Like plants or the happy, good feels?”

Lilly frowns. Did she? Fuck. She was navigating completely in the dark. She had not been in the slightest prepared for this conversation to go this way. “Yeah.” She finally sighs.

“So that’s a no. Wow, she knows nothing.” Killian snickers. “Still, she’s pretty good at what she does for her age and not knowing jack shit about what she can do. So okay, look. She’s really good at drawing in a bunch of energy from a bunch of sources without draining the sources. That’s not how I work. I’m a one on one kinda guy and I drain-”

“Did you fuckin’ feed off her?!” Lilly hisses between clenched teeth as she pulls at her hair. This wasn’t good. “She’ll be fine right? You didn’t like, mark her or anything permanent right?” She asks unable to keep the worry from her voice. 

“No, she’s not marked. Neither are you, by the way, since we’re being all open and honest about this shit.”

Lilly sighs as she begins pacing. “You fed off me that night… You… Gods dammit Killian.”

“I’ve ‘fed’ off you both twice. What the fuck are you? My shit does not work on you the way it should. You like, kinda go with it, but you have like an iron will or something.”

Lilly sighs. “Fuck if I know Killian. I’m a cursed priestess, I wouldn’t know why your shit doesn’t work…” She trails off. Was it because Ahmes? Is that why Mae and River had been so confused when they had first met… She had so many more questions than answers. 

“Weird. Anyway. I needed a boost to my abilities so I could get the fuck outta angel ridden dodge. So I did a set or two, got Chem all pumped up on energy and then siphoned it from her. She’ll be fine with sleep. No one got hurt. I even told Devon to keep her with him, to keep those damned winged fucks off your back, which I still haven’t gotten a thank you for by the way. You’re welcome. I’m not a complete monster.” Killian scoffs.

Lilly rolls her eyes. “I’m not saying thank you for you making her pass out... ” 

“I also didn’t want her panicking and trying to go look for you, and I knew you’d get super pissy if she also got lifted. You didn’t exactly look happy when your fat faced friend plucked you up.”

Lilly curses. She couldn’t deny the truth in that. “Fine. Thank you. Are you happy?” She at least had some answers now. She wasn’t thrilled about it, but it was something. “That legend. What the fuck did it say, and why do you think she’s a part of it?”

“I can’t remember the whole legend, but apparently King dick bag and another king decided to experiment with their toys and they created a new breed and something with angels, that’s all I got. I didn’t pay that much attention in school, and it was a long long long time ago. And really, I mean it’s like you're Cinderella or Three Blind Mice fairytales. As for why I think you’re baby sis is a part of it... We don’t mix. I can’t even tell you the number of human bitches I’ve slept with, not a one ever preggers. It takes a special line to cross like that.”

Lilly sighs as she runs her hand through her hair. “Look, we have a shit ton on our plate. And Sam already hates you over the cupcakes and the dancing…” She sighs. “Can you just lay low for a while.” 

“Heard, already three steps ahead of you. I really do hope we cross paths again Cupcake. Chem too, everyone loves those damned videos. You two are quite the money makers.”

“If we live through the end times, I’ll hit you up.” Lilly sighs. What the fuck else was she going to do? If this prick was fae, he might be willing to trade cupcakes for helping Mae with her abilities. He seemed self motivated enough, and it wasn’t like he had done anything completely irreparable. “I’d appreciate you keeping quiet on this then. We have enough people trying to kill us without any of this getting out.” 

“I don’t know a damned thing. Stay safe Cupcake.”

“Good. Best of luck Killian.” Lilly sighs as she hangs up her phone and walks over to the closest wall and hits her head on it. How was she going to explain this mess to the fucking guys. And his odd legend was worrisome. She groans as she pulls her hands through her hair, picking her head up only to let it fall again. Well at least she didn’t have to worry about the future anymore; Sam was going to fucking slaughter her. Why was it always her that found these things? She sighs as she tucks her phone into her bra and pushes off the wall. What a fucking mess. 

63

Dean taps his fist against the surface of the table. Lilly was taking for fucking ever with this phone call. He sighs and looks around the table. Bobby was on his fifth cup of coffee and jotting notes down on a newspaper spread out in front of him. Mae was sitting in Sam’s lap and the two were whispering to each other now that she was doing better. Dean shakes his head, forgetting her trigger word was a huge misstep on Sam’s part. Castiel was pacing back and forth behind them occasionally making noises of approval, his eyes flicking between the door Lilly had disappeared through to Mae and back with each turn. Apparently he could hear what was happening in the other room.

Lilly walks back into the kitchen, her eyes sweeping the room with apprehension. She frowns as she glances over Sam before she makes her way to Dean out of self preservation. He wouldn’t shoot her in front of Dean and Mae right? And then there was Castiel, who wasn’t going to be too pleased either, and Bobby, and Dean… This sucked. She had just wanted some extra cash so they could stay at nicer hotels without touching her damn bank account. So how was she going to say this? She could always claim he hadn’t answered and she’d spent the last thirty minutes leaving nasty voicemails… But she didn’t want them to worry when it didn’t seem like they had much to worry about.

Castiel walks up to her and pins her with a stern glare. “Should I search for him? Bring him here? We can get more answers from him.”

“I think we’re good.” Lilly shifts in discomfort.

Castiel turns to look over his shoulder at the rest of the room before his eyes once more land on Mae. “He fed on the two of you.” 

“What!?” The entire room asks.

“But he didn’t kill us.” Lilly sighs. So the angel had heard the conversation then. Well he wasn’t killing her, yet. “And if you heard then you should understand why leaving him alive would be a good thing.”

“I never said I would smite him. I said get answers. If he knows so much about the apocalypse and Mae being a fae-”

“Whoa.” Dean stands up with a hand held in front of him. “What? Share with the god damned class you two.”

“Killian’s a fae.” Lilly sighs as she runs a hand through her hair. “He spazzed when he saw dickless take me, and uh- fed on Mae.”

“Eww. What does that mean?” Mae’s nose scrunches up in disgust.

Lilly looks to Mae and then to the others and shifts with discomfort. “Uh. I wouldn’t judge Mae.” She sighs as she scratches the back of her head.

“What are you-” Mae looks to Lilly with wide, horrified eyes. “What does that mean?” Her hands in Sam’s shirt tighten.

“Accordin’ ta him, you do it too… Just differently. His kith is like a cousin to yours or something. Shockingly he wasn’t that open...” Lilly admits. 

“I’m a monster that can hurt people?” Mae asks sadly, addressing no one in particular as she looks down at her lap, unable to look at anyone in the room. Did she hurt people without even knowing it? Did she feed? She felt sick.

“I mean, no more than the rest of us.” Lilly sighs as she pulls her hands through her hair. The last couple of days, hours? Were suddenly catching back up to her as she plopped in her seat. She felt exhausted and the hits seemed to just be coming. She didn’t see a point in lying to Mae. “Though, Killian seemed to think you had excellent control over that particular ability, for what that’s worth...”

“What the fuck Lilly?” Sam snaps at Lilly, when Mae makes a noise of distress and ducks her face into his shirt. He could already feel her tears, as he cradled her closer.

“Cut it out Sam.” Bobby snaps before his tone gentles. “Mae, calm down. You’re not a monster. You fuck with plants and get high when people are happy.”

Lilly sighs as she looks over at Castiel. Look, Cass, I’m gettin’ the feelin’ ya heard it all. And I’m not gonna ask you to lie again, but I’m not sure all of that should just be dumped on her right now. I’m not sure how much of it she’s going to be able to take, and I’m not sure how the others are going to take it either. If they have a bad reaction it will fuckin’ crush her… If you want, you can explain it to the guys and I can talk to her, or vice versa, or we can discuss the matter later in private and decide what to do then… But, I’m not sure this is good for her right now and I don’t have the energy for fighting with Sam either.

Castiel closes his eyes and his head nods almost imperceptibly. “I think the point right now is that Mae is going to be okay. She just needs to take it easy for a few days. It also explains Lilly’s condition the first night they left the house with this Killian. As for the memory loss, and the shock I received. It was something Killian did to protect himself from angels. He’s right, we haven’t exactly had the best relationship. Though if you still want to know what happened, Thoth should be able to look at her mind, seeing as he is not an angel.”

Lilly folds her arms and lays her head them. “Sounds good to me.” She immediately sides with the angel.

All three hunters look between Lilly and Castiel suspiciously.

“Bobby. May I speak to you for a moment?” Castiel asks suddenly.

“Yeah.” Bobby grunts as he pushes away from the table and stands.

“Perhaps You should get Mae back in bed. She could use the extra sleep.” Castiel points out to Sam.

Sam glares at Castiel, but in the end just sighs. “Wanna get some more sleep baby?” He asks her softly. 

Mae just nods against his chest. She was already done with this day. Maybe she was being ridiculous about this, but she couldn’t help being afraid of the vast unknowns about herself and her heritage. Why hadn’t her mother ever told her what she was? Or that she could hurt people. It seemed stupid to let her run around not knowing how to deal with her… Powers? Magic? Whatever it is, it was reckless to not understand.

Sam stands up and shoots a suspicious look at Lilly. “I’ll be back down in a couple of minutes.” He states darkly before the two disappear upstairs. 

Lilly lets out a deep breath once Sam is gone before she pushes herself up and stands. What a fucking mess. She scratches the back of her head before she sighs and heads over to the fridge. “Wanna beer?” She asks Dean. “Or Vodka?” 

“Let’s go with beer.” Dean shakes his head as he stands up and joins her.

“Your choice” Lilly shrugs as she pulls out a bottle of beer for Dean before she pulls the vodka out of the freezer.

“We should probably move this conversation into another room.” Castiel adds before he walks out of the kitchen.

“Heard.” Lilly nods as she turns and pulls a tumbler down and uncaps the vodka before she dumps the vodka into the glass, and downs it.

“What’s up with him? I thought he wanted to talk to you?” Dean gives Bobby a quizzical look.

Bobby shrugs, shakes his head and follows after the angel.

Dean watches them go with a frown before he turns and looks down at Lilly suspiciously. “What’s going on?”

“Didn’t you hear the angel?” Lilly asks as she hands him the beer. “Come on, let’s go chill in the game room.” She sighs as she picks up the bottle and heads out of the kitchen.

Dean rolls his eyes. Of course Lilly had found a way to secretly work with Castiel. He sighs, downs his beer and grabs another. As an afterthought he grabs a pail and loads it up with beers for the room, this seemed like it might take awhile.

“I don’t think it’s as bad as you think it is.” Lilly offers. “It’s just... All of it at once.” 

“That’s usually a three drink kinda day.” Dean shakes his head as he tosses some ice over the bottles. “Calm down, it ain’t just for me.”

“I wasn’t judging.” Lilly shrugs as she shakes the bottle of vodka in her own hand to prove her point. “I just don’t want you worrying more than you need ta.” 

Dean gives her a small smile. “Let’s get this over with.”

Lilly smiles as she takes another pull from her tumblr and heads out of the kitchen. If that had been Mae’s reaction to just that one piece of news… She groans. And she wasn’t even sure she knew about their trip to the future yet. She downs the rest of the content of her glass. It was going to be a long fucking day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, don't forget to leave us a comment, you know we live for those. :)


	27. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Mae tucked back into bed, Dean and Lilly gather Bobby and the celestials so they can talk about, and hopefully find a way to prevent, the things they witnessed in the future. The conversation becomes a roller coaster of emotions as Lilly and Cass also add details about the mysterious phone call Lilly had with Killian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, happy to get another chapter out to you. We hope this one makes you laugh as much as it made us. Enjoy.

64

 

Sam walks into the game room after having to wander around the house to figure out where everyone had gone once he settled Mae back in bed. Something was up. Dean and Lilly had been in the future, Mae with that scumbag Killian, and now he was worried about what the hell Lilly had found out. 

 

He takes a deep breath before he sits on the couch next to Dean and Lilly, who apparently decided that this was going to be a kegger kind of discussion. What the hell happened to them in five years? And could they change it, since it was obviously nothing good. He looks up to Castiel, who was over by the pool table quietly talking to Thoth. Honestly, he’d seen that coming; this was something new about Mae, and obviously he could add to the discussion about the future.

 

“Mae fall asleep okay?” Lilly asks as she looks up at Sam.

 

“Yeah. She’s still pretty tired. She made me run and get her pillow.” Sam nods before he sheepishly continues. “I forgot about them last night.”

 

Lilly frowns, but nods her head. “We all did then…” She sighs as she runs her hand through her hair. Her eyes glance around the whole room, noting that Castiel and Thoth had ended their discussion and were now looking towards Dean and her expectantly, along with Bobby who had somehow managed to remain uncharacteristically patient. “Right,” She turns to look at Dean. “Do you wanna start? Or should I?” She asks him with a frown.

 

Dean sits up and supports his elbows on his knees. “I got it babe, jump in when ya need ta.”

 

Lilly nods as she picks her tumbler off the table, and curls up closer to him. She wasn’t exactly thrilled about this debriefing, she’d barely processed anything herself. However she knew how important this was, and she was just going to have to suck it the fuck up. This was literally their lives on the line, how they proceeded from this point on was going to be instrumental to make sure shit didn’t play out the way that future had.

 

“So the three of us finished  _ talking _ to Raphael. Cass went back to god hunting, good on him because that was some utter bullshit by the way. What a fucking whiner. Anyways, Sam was sleeping and I got hungry so I was heading to baby to grab a burger when good ol’ junkless showed up and hauled my ass to this post apocalyptic nightmare shell of the city we were in. I mean I was looking at the hotel room I had just walked out of and it was half gone. Freaked me the fuck out man. So then I’m fucking looking around and figure out that the fucking Croatoan virus is running rampant. Then fucking Zachariah shows back up and tells me that he needs me to fucking see how bad it will get and that I’m marinating in this new world  _ I _ created. Fucker touches me again and I find myself next to my baby and she’s all rusted and not taken care of. She was dead Sam. Baby was dead.” 

 

Lilly looks to Dean before she reaches out and squeezes Dean’s arm.

 

Sam grimaces at the thought of the Impala being that far in disrepair. He had a hard time picturing Dean ever letting his car get in that condition, and sighs. This was already starting out bad, and they didn’t even have any details.

 

Bobby rolls his eyes. “We got it boy. End of times killed yer car. Wanna continue while we still have time ta stop this hell?”

 

Dean clears his throat and nods. “Right, so next thing I know I’m hit over the head and waking up looking at a fucking mirror. ‘Cept it’s another me and he’s fucking batshit crazy. We banter, we trade a few only we know secrets and he finally tells me what the fuck was going on. What he told me was that Lilly, Mae and Sam are gone and he’s leading a rebellion to kill lucifer.”

 

Sam shifts from next to Lilly and looks to Dean with concern. “Christ man, you couldn’t have started with that? We’re dead?”

 

“It’s what he told me. And ya wanna let me tell the fucking story?” Dean glares and shakes his head.

 

Sam frowns as he leans forward and grabs a beer. “Go for it.” He sighs as he pops the lid off.

 

“So he’s got some sort of secret mission that he has to go do. He leaves me fucking tied to a damn ladder and takes off. I wait a couple minutes before I get out, and then go looking around.” Dean sighs before he looks over to Castiel. “Then I run into some stoner version of you, only to find out your wings have been clipped, and you tell me that heaven’s withdrawn and left you mostly human. The best ya can do is feel energy and listen to prayers, but you take it in stride and shit, lettin’ me know about your damn orgies as you take me to Bobby, who isn’t all that surprised to see me either. We end up heading back to Bobby’s cabin, where I find this one.” He gestures to Lilly.  “Meditating, because why wouldn’t you?” He shakes his head. “Anyways, I’m fuckin’ confused up til they tell me she’s mine and had been dumped there by dickless too. At this point I find out that this fucking too far gone version of me lied when he said Sam and Mae were gone. What he meant was that Mae got taken and Sam said yes.” 

 

“Wait what, I said yes?” Sam asks with furrowed brows.

 

“According to me you and Lilly decided to sacrifice yourselves to save her-”

 

“To be fair,  we had a plan.” Lilly quickly interjects when everyone turn to glare at her and Sam. “It just didn’t pan out the way we had hoped.”

 

“Which I guess that Dean didn’t know about. So you two start feeling any urges to fucking plot shit behind our backs… Just don’t okay.” Dean cuts himself off with a swipe of his hand. “Just fucking don’t. All of us in on the plan,  or no fucking plan. Got it?”

 

Lilly and Sam share a brief glance before they both turn back to Dean and nod.

 

“You got it Dean.” Sam exhales roughly.

 

Lilly settles back on the couch, quietly. “So you were saying…” She prompts him.

 

Dean sighs. “Right, so we shake Lilly the fuck outta it, which looking back probably hadn’t been the best idea, since we had to go through your-” He nods to Bobby. “Emergency exit which ends up being a damn ‘Great Escape’ style tunnel.” He frowns when he feels Lilly shudder next to him. “But we get out, and end up bouncing from the camp without much of any trouble.” He sighs. “Lilly and stoner Cass have this epiphany and after bout twenty tries, you’re” He nods at Castiel. “Finally able to shove your hand in her and are able to do your angel thing, and you head to Japan in hopes of finding some of Bobby’s books over there, and that’s when Lilly and I get separated.” He looks down at Lilly. “Cause I show up, Bobby quickly lies, which probably saved us both from being shot-”

 

“You were gonna to shoot yerself?” Bobby asks with a quirked brow.

 

“What part of fucking batshit insane didn’t make sense ol’ man?” Dean asks in exasperation.

 

“Right, sorry. Continue.” Bobby rolls his eyes.

 

“So, we end up driving here, and I proceed to start lecturing myself about trusting Lilly and Sam, and bout how the littles aren’t the same. I’m actually planning on shooting the both of them and their-” Dean pauses as he let’s out a deep breath. “Kids.” 

 

“What!?” Sam shouts, spilling beer down his front in his surprise. 

 

“Can we just let him finish?” Thoth asks with a raised eyebrow, “I”m sure  **_they_ ** wouldn’t mind answering questions at the end.” He looks to Dean and Lilly respectively. 

 

“Yeah…” Dean sighs deeply before he continues. “So yeah, that’s the plan. We pull up to mystic a few hours later and that Dean orders everyone to the front of the house to use angel blades on anyone they see and he stays behind with me, next thing I know I’m pistol whipping me with the god damned colt. I couldn’t have been out that long because I ran and caught the tail end of Me arguing with Lilly and Sam trying to contain fucking Lucifer. Me breaks Lilly’s leg, Sam loses to Lucifer and then it… Just went downhill from there. Lucifer killed him. We bantered, because again, why not. I went to Lilly, cause I was just fucking shocked to see her there, and then Zachariah zapped me back to here and now. Leaving Lilly behind.” He slowly looks over at Lilly and shrugs. “Sorry babe, that’s all I got on the story. Other than getting back and arguing with Zachariah to bring you the fuck back. Which he said he would when I said yes to Michael. Looks like it’s your turn now though.”

 

Lilly sighs as she downs the rest of her glass. “Right.” She sighs. “The doorbell rang while I was making dinner, Killian was upset we hadn’t taken him up on the cupcakes. I’m guessin’ now that he pulled some shit that got Mae all pumped to dance, and long story short we ended up in his car. About two seconds after we show up, bam Zachariah.”  She sighs as she pulls her hand through her hair. “He drops me off in the middle of the damn camp by baby, and if I had to hazard a guess it would be before he ever got to Dean. Some alarm goes off and I run into Amanda, ya know that little girl we baby sat, with a damn gun pointed at me, followed quickly by a very angry mob.” She sighs. “Then Bobby an’ Crush show up, and get me the fuck outta that pit, and I’m rushed to Bobby’s cabin like I’m some type of pariah, which I mean, guess I was.” She sighs. “We talk a bit before I find out that…” She pauses as her eyes sweep up at Thoth, as guilt and shame sweep through her, before she drops her eyes. “Thoth and Maat had been killed in an attempt to rescue me from Michael” She admits with a frown. “Ahmes obviously didn’t take that news much better than I did, and I found myself nearly passing out when Chuck shows up, and they all just keep repeating that Dean can’t see me. Which I mean, was confusing at the time...” She continues with a sigh. 

 

Bobby sighs as he shoots Lilly a look. “Sorry jit, ya lost me. Whose Crush and what’s TFG stand for?” 

 

Lilly blushes. “Right. Sorry, Crush, is what I called stoner Cass, and TFG is short for too far gone.” She explains, she crinkles her nose. “So then TFG Dean shows up, and talks about wantin’ ta kill Sammy, Mae, and their kids, and I can’t keep my fuckin’ mouth shut, and suddenly there’s TFG Dean aiming a gun at my face. We argue, he ends up pissy, and we end up in his cabin where he-” She shakes her head. “There were rules he wanted me to know, so anyways we get interrupted by the stupid radio, and he drags me back to Bobby’s cabin. At this point I’m still not sure if this is some type of angel green screen or the real deal, but Bobby, as usual get’s my head on straight and I know I’m in some deep shit, cause this crap was actually happening.” She scratches the back of her head. “I was meditating, because it was a lot to process and so I sought advice from Ahmes.”

 

Thoth can’t help himself. “She’s strong enough to talk again?” 

 

Sam rolls his shoulders, unable to contain the small smirk. Apparently they were all impatient to learn more about something.

 

Lilly nods before she blushes a bit. “Though I’m not sure she’s still able to. I know it took a lot out of her when we were talking, but we both agreed that because we weren’t sure what Zach’s plans were it would be best to try and save the little’s their children, and ...Our’s. “ She sighs as she runs her hand through her hair. “But then in the middle of coming up with the plan I got pulled back, and it goes as Dean said.”

 

“I said looking back it probably wasn’t the best idea.” Dean quickly defends himself. “But TFG Dean was back.”

 

“I’m not mad Dean, it’s not like you knew.” Lilly shrugs. “So anyways Crush and I end up in Japan and we end up getting shot by fucking droids and chased by croats only to find out that your-” She looks to Bobby “Stash had also been destroyed there. We find out Dean’s been taking so we come up with the bright idea to go warn Samifer and Grimm Mae that TFG Dean’s on his way to kill their kids. Grimm Mae nearly kills us, because she’s convinced it’s just Samifer playin’ another game with her. I guess I convince her we weren’t a game in the nick of time, cause bitch almost impaled us both with damn plants Poison Ivy style-”

 

“Samifer?” Sam asks before he can stop himself. He was shocked to hear that Mae could ever have that type of control over plants, But he supposed that if she could get a seed to grow, it stood to reason that she’d have other abilities; deadlier abilities.

 

“Grimm Mae?” Castiel asks with a frown.

 

“Sam and Lucifer.” Lilly shrugs as she scratches the back of her head. “And yeah, like Grimm’s fairy tales…It wasn’t pretty, she’d really had a number pulled on her, that much was obvious. I almost had to pull out the big guns, but luckily it just stopped at how I felt about her when we had met. So, like she invites us in and shit, and man this place...” She looks around the room. “It was completely fucked. But anyways, Crush goes with her to go help the kids, and I’m not about to tell her that TFG Dean’s on his way to kill her and kids so I go chill in Samifer’s study to wait for him to show back up from his business…” She frowns as she shifts in discomfort, she didn’t really feel like sharing her experience with Ash and River was important to the details, and from the burning in her eyes she really didn’t want to open that fucking can of worms. She ignores the men’s concerned looks as she continues. “Then, Samifer shows up in all his glory and we start talking when I pass out.” She sighs. “I’d been convinced he’d done something, but turns out, no, it was what I had apparently done. The plan TFG Dean kept going on about, I had found a spell to transfer my energy to Sam, so he could take full control. When I come to, I can barely speak, and Crush had to-” Lilly pauses, why did Crush have to repeat everything she had said? Her eyes narrow slightly. “I was talking in Egyptian. So we come up with this plan to get the kids and Grimm Mae the fuck outta dodge just in case. Crush wanted to take me too, but the spell I’d used was blood magic, and apparently Sam wouldn’t be able to stay in control without me… So Crush offered to take the kids and Mae.” She sighs as she looks up at Sam. “ When I came back to consciousness Crush was gone, you having given him some of Lucy’s grace...” 

 

“I was given archangel grace?” Castiel asks in a kind of awe.

 

“Yeah, and weren’t you thrilled about it.” Lilly breathes out sarcastically as she rolls her eyes. “I’m not sure how it worked, and you mentioned it was going to hurt, I offered to let you tap me again, but you shut that down pretty quick…”

 

Thoth glares at Castiel before he turns back to Lilly. “Moving on...”

 

“Right, so then we go outside, and wait for TFG Dean, talking about what the fuck had gone down.” Lilly shrugs. “Ahmes had apparently agreed at some point in all this to perform the ritual she had on Apep that started this mess on Lucifer, but there was no way for me to do it. I was pretty fuckin’ outta it from the transference and really wasn’t at a hundred percent, so Sam wanted to get through to TFG Dean. I had come up with an idea but…” She cringes as she remembers the argument she’d gotten into with Sam. “I was hung up on something, and suddenly TFG Dean was there. I had acted too slow... And again, it went as Dean said…” She frowns, her heart hurting as the distinctive snap echoed in her head. “I passed out from pain, and when I came too Samifer was watching me, and then Crush brought me back. Thoth showed up, and I slept...” She concludes quickly as she grabs a beer and pops the cap off.

 

“Stoned, transferred grace newly reinstated Castiel was a little wrong on the time and brought her back before she’d been taken. In order to keep time from, let’s say rebelling, I kept her with me until I was sure Dean was back as well.” Thoth explains. 

 

“So, what the fuck was the point of Zachariah taking you two then?” Bobby asks as he shakes his head.

 

“That’s the million dollar question.” Lilly frowns. “Other than collateral, I really don’t think he had any intention of bringing me back without a ‘yes ‘ from Dean. But besides that, I’ve no idea. I doubt he even knows I’m back. I doubt he thought Samifer would just send me back, but he wanted me the fuck away from him, and refused to kill me because unlike other angel’s ‘he follows the rules’.” She adds sarcastically with a shrugs as she takes a pull from her beer.

 

Castiel looks like he’s about to argue but instead turns away; lost in thought.

 

“TFG me just said that if Mae gets taken to keep Sam and Lilly away from each other.” Dean shrugs. “He seemed to think the whole world went to hell the moment Sam said yes and Lilly was taken by Michael. So, other than the fact that I really would like to keep us from turning out like those versions of us, I got nothing.”

 

“So how the fuck did they get Mae?” Sam asks with a frown.

 

“Apparently arson.” Lilly frowns. “The demons lit Mystic on fire.” She sighs. 

 

“Bobby told me that Lilly made it out because she woke up can called out for help. But they had already gotten to Mae at that point.”

 

Thoth’s brows furrow together at that. “I doubt they had any intention of taking Lilly at all then, or even thought about her. She’s warded the house, most likely while on one of her cleaning frenzies, from things that wish her harm. Wards can be expanded and the house made fire resistant, but it would still be for the best if the four of you cleared out. It’s an obvious target, and is not unknown to your enemies.”

 

Sam and Dean both nod.

 

Lilly sighs as she downs the rest of her beer. “I don’t know how or when, but if you don’t mind showing me, I’d like to expand it. I understand we have to leave, but I’d rather have this house to come back to when everything is all said and done.”

 

Thoth nods. “I’ll get the required components and the ritual for you.”

 

Lilly looks up to Thoth curiously. “Crush gave you his memories right?” She asks with a frown.

 

“Yes. And I would like to collect your memories and Deans.”

 

“Go for it.” Lilly nods. “But I have a question, who the fuck was Michael riding?” She asks as Ash’s familiar green eyes flash in her mind.

 

Castiel turns back to the conversation, interested as well.

 

“Adam.” 

 

“Adam?” Sam frowns. “Adam our half brother?” 

 

Thoth nods as he walks over to Lilly and places a hand to on her head. “Yes. Though it appears they weren’t the right fit.” He states before he looks down at Lilly before he closes his eyes in concentration. 

 

Lilly’s stomach instantly turns at the thought of Adam, and the implications that came with his name, her eyes closing as she took comfort in Thoth’s warm hand on forehead. That wasn’t a current problem, they could still avoid that particular outcome. It hurt, but Ash, River, and the other’s would never come to pass if she had anything to say about it.

 

The three hunter’s watch Thoth in interest and concern. Bobby and Dean shifting with discomfort, as Sam watches curiously, each of them suddenly alert that he was doing something to Lilly.

 

Thoth steps back a moment later and grabs a manifested book from thin air. “Thank you odd one. The more we know, the better we can attempt to prevent it. Crush’s, as you refer to him, book is a bit more involved but I’m still deciphering some of it.”

 

Castiel alerts to the delicate wording. “How far back in my memories did you go?”

 

Thoth turns and looks at the angel. “All the way.” He frowns at the angel. He’d noticed some discrepancies, and though he wished to ask the angel for his own memories stopped himself. He could apparently wait for those particular memories when the angel’s and his own relationship progressed, and they didn’t seem to involve the matter at hand. Though it seemed he would have to keep a closer eye on the angel for any odd behavior. It had become obvious to him that someone had scrambled with his brain in the past, and there was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again. He would speak more with Lilly on the matter in private at a later date.

 

Castiel frowns for a moment before he shrugs.

 

Lilly elbows Dean gently, as she looks to him, and then Thoth, before she gives Dean an expectant look.

 

“Oh. Uh, yeah.” Dean turns from Lilly to look up at Thoth. “Knock yourself out in my mind. It’s a mess though. Just warning ya.”

 

Thoth can’t help the smirk that tugs at his lips at Dean’s hesitance and warning. “I can only imagine. I have no interest in the ones that are not from twenty fifteen.” 

 

Dean lets out a relieved sigh. “Oh thank gods.”

 

“Your welcome.” Thoth chuckles as he places a hand to Dean’s forehead. “It won’t hurt, it will just be warm for a moment.” He adds unnecessarily as he closes his eyes in concentration.

 

Dean pouts. “Why didn’t he warn you?”

 

“Because if it had hurt, I wouldn’t have pulled a gun.” Lilly shrugs.

 

“Like a gun would hurt him.” Dean rolls his eyes.

 

“It’s still rude Dean.” Lilly frowns in disapproval.

 

“It is rude, and I like these robes.” Thoth states as he steps away with a new book. “I will be able to compare these with Crush’s to get a more complete picture. I will keep you updated on what progress I make.” He nods once to Dean before he tucks the book away in his robes before he takes a seat in a free recliner. “If I come across anything more, I will let you know. And if anyone has interest in reading them, I have no issues with loaning them out.”

 

“I have issues.” Lilly instantly objects as she remembers her experience with reading Mae’s book with her time with Lilith. 

 

Thoth raises an eyebrow at her. “We can talk after I’ve looked through yours.”

 

“I wanna read the books.” Bobby quickly interjects.

 

Lilly looks to Bobby and frowns. “I just want it known it was TFG Dean I was gonna hit, and that’s you that’s gonna get scarred for life ol’ man.”

 

Thoth sighs. “I can put the necessary blocks in place to prevent,  _ scarring.  _ Will I know these parts when I see them?” 

 

All three hunter’s look to Lilly in confusion, but she ignores them and finishes her beer. “You’ll know.” Lilly grumbles with a blush on her face. 

 

“So, about that plan that we had…” Sam shakes his head and leans forward to look at Lilly.

 

Lilly looks up at Sam. “It would have worked, I think. If I hadn’t been taken.”

 

Thoth shoots Lilly a look. “That ritual most likely would have killed you, if you were already giving so much of your energy away that you reverted to your first language.”

 

Sam’s eyes widen. “Oh. So that’s not an option then.” He knew the answer wouldn’t have been that easy.

 

“Not with her current level no.” Thoth states as he shoots a look at Lilly. “Ahmes had been raised a priestess and it still took her out for over a month. As for the other ritual she spoke about. The one where she transferred her energy to you… That one might still be an option, but I’m curious if she told you that it bound you two for life.” 

 

Lilly and Sam trade uncomfortable glances before they both shrug.

 

“What kind of bond?” Dean immediately asks, instantly disliking the sound of that.

 

Thoth shrugs. “It would have linked them permanently on a spiritual level. It’s not what you're thinking Dean, but it still isn’t something that should be taken likely, and not something that should immediately be disregarded. Blood is one of the strongest components you can use in a ritual or spell, and should never be an immediate go to, but there are times when there’s no other choice. I’ve been teaching her about the strengths and weaknesses to certain spells, and unlike Ahmes, she has a natural inclination to blood specific rituals, much to Maat’s dismay.”  

 

Dean glares at Lilly for a moment. He can’t help but wonder why it had to be blood she was so inclined to. Did it have anything to do with the fact that she was a cutter? Or was she a cutter because she was so inclined to that particular type of magic. He was going to have to ask her in private if he wanted her to really answer him; calling her out in front of anyone else was sure to clam her up. “So, what I’m hearing is, it’s something to keep in mind, but not try anytime soon.” As an afterthought he adds. “Or without everyone’s approval.”

 

“Correct.” Thoth nods as he turns a page in the book, shooting Lilly a pointed look. 

 

Lilly shifts in discomfort. “I haven’t even done anything yet.” She defends herself.

 

“Don’t even bother trying to say that. They never care.” Sam whispers to her with a frown.

 

Lilly looks up to Sam and pouts, before she lets out a sigh. “Fine…” She concedes, as she looks at the floor. She couldn’t even say she hadn’t thought about looking into it. Because she had, and continuing to argue was sure to just land her in deep shit.

 

“Looks like our plan to find the colt might have some merit.” Bobby points out after some thought.

 

“Oh, well if that’s the plan, I’m pretty sure it’s with Crowley.” Lilly shrugs as she leans forward and grabs a beer. 

 

“What?” Sam and Dean respond together.

 

Lilly looks over her shoulder at Dean. “What?” She asks in confusion. 

 

“How do you know the king of the cross roads has it?” Dean asks before he shakes his head. “Bella said she gave it to Lilith.”

 

“Didn’t you two read the books?” Lilly asks as she looks between the two of them in confusion. “I only picked them back up because Mae told me you two had found out about them, and confirmed they were about the two of you, and then later in the series us.”

 

Sam shakes his head, his face distorted with disgust. “I had enough of that shit with the research I did on it, thanks.”

 

Dean shrugs. “I kinda read them. Some of them… Look, it got weird with the full frontals and descriptions of intimacy.”

 

Lilly just shrugs. “I thought it was funny.”

 

Sam groans and leans back against the couch. “You would.”

 

Lilly frowns and pops open her beer. “Hey, don’t be mad at me, be pissed at Chuck.” She sighs as she takes a pull. “I didn’t even know you two were still looking for it. There was a wealth of information in those books, not my fault if ya couldn’t stomach it. It’s not even like he got any of us right. It’s the fanfiction ya need to worry about that shit got dark and twisted pretty fuckin’ quick. Very strong opinions about me and Mae and male pregnancies-”

 

Sam groans in disgust as Dean growls out a sharp warning “Lilly!”

 

“It ain’t funny. Mae told me about some of that shit.”

 

Lilly can’t help her laughter as Dean snatches the beer out of her hand. “We’re done with this topic.” He glares at her, when she just laughs harder.

 

Sam glares at Lilly. “Pull it together.” He snaps at her.

 

“Right.” Lilly frowns as she looks down, but can’t help one last snicker, they were being ridiculous.

 

“So. Killian’s a fae, and fed off ya both.” Bobby barks over the laughter.

 

Lilly instantly stops, her smile falling as she looked at Bobby. She clears her throat as she let’s out a sigh. “Yeah.”

 

“Wait, what- There’s another fae?” Thoth asks as he shuts the book, suddenly interested in the conversation again. 

 

“Yes. And he fed off Lilly the night she almost died.” Castiel quickly points out, disliking Thoth’s sudden interest.

 

Thoth’s blue eyes flash as he straightens his back. “Is that so…”

 

Lilly shifts in discomfort. “I apparently don’t react well to fae abilities. I’m not sure he was actually trying to kill me.” She finds herself defending the neon orange obsessed douchebag, she wasn’t sure why, though she had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with him being fae. Mae really didn’t need to know if someone killed him, she’d be constantly worried she was a monster too, and it would be a mess. She’d be completely inconsolable. She lowers her eyes when she notices both brother’s glaring at her, along with Bobby and Castiel.

 

Thoth narrows his eyes in thought as he watches Lilly. He steeples his fingers and rest his lips on the point they make.

 

“That’s fucking worse Lilly.” Sam snaps at her.

 

“Is it though?” Lilly cringes. “I mean, I don’t think he intended to kill me, so much was curious as to what the fuck was wrong with me. I doubt he’d kill me, when it’s obvious we both were using the other for lucrative purposes.” She frowns when they just continue glaring. “I mean let’s think about this objectively for a moment. I have to have some type of weird signature right?” She looks between Thoth and Castiel for help even as she continues. “And Fae must be pretty secretive, if none of ya’ll have heard them, and your some of the best of the best… So he made a-Business deal, and then I show up. He’s not just going to ask what the fuck’s wrong with me, and give himself away. So he was probably just poking to figure out what the fuck he was dealing with, and I was fine the first time round. Then I show up with Mae, a half fae, and apparently instantly knowing what she was made him even more curious… And, yeah. So, that’s not exactly malicious intentions, ya know?” She finishes hopefully.

 

Castiel watches Lilly while she talks before he sighs. “It’s true that Lilly has a rather unique energy. And it is very disconcerting to not feel her until you’re near her.”

 

Thoth sighs as he looks at Lilly. “I misplaced her for years because of that obscura. She’s nearly undetectable, unless you're in the same room, and then you can feel the energy from both her souls. It would peek the interest of some.”

 

“Like that matters though.” Sam scoffs as he looks around the room before he looks back to Lilly. “Oh come on. He nearly killed you, and then put Mae in a coma.”

 

“He didn’t want her out looking for me, when there were obviously angels involved.” Lilly quickly defends again.  

 

“So he says.” Sam rolls his eyes.

 

“He kept calling her a baby. Most species are protective of their young, even if it’s not their kin.” Lilly points out with a frown. 

 

“Mae’s not a baby. She’s an adult.” Bobby points out; and he could almost make himself believe it. 

 

Thoth frowns. “To humans. Fae aren’t immortal, but they certainly have longevity. A twenty five year old would be a proverbial infant to a full fae. It doesn’t mean she is a child, just merely means he may view her as one.” 

 

All three hunter’s exchange glances. The Celestials and Lilly all seemed to shockingly on the same page in this instance.  _ Why? _

 

Dean glares down at Lilly. “Why are you defending him? You told me he was an asshole.”

 

“You were an ass hole when I first met you.” Lilly rolls her eyes. “But you're not wrong, he is a major dick.”

 

“Then why are you so defensive of him?” Sam asks

 

Thoth rolls his eyes. “Really Sam? You can’t tell why Lilly and Castiel are defensive of a full fae? I’ll give you that my motives might be throwing you off on this.”

 

All three hunters are silent before Bobby curses. “Dammit. It’s not the same jit.” 

 

“Good luck s’plainin’ that to Mae. You saw how she reacted to just one bit.” Lilly frowns as she pulls her hand through her hair. “I’m just saying he might be a self motivated ass hole, but there are plenty of humans with the same trait.”  

 

Sam lets out a resigned sigh. “Shit.”

 

“Someone wanna fill me in?” Dean grumbles angry at being left out of the loop.

 

“It would kill Mae.” Sam shakes his head slowly, agony filling his voice as he links the pieces, “If the first Fae she’s met since finding out what she is gets labeled as a monster by us…” He slaps his palm against his knee, “She’s already had the thought that she’s a monster. You heard her when she found out that Killian nearly killed Lilly by feeding on her.”

 

Dean’s eyes widen. “That’s not the same though, she’s never almost killed someone by accident.”

 

Lilly shifts in discomfort. “Directly.” She breathes out.

 

Sam glares. “What does that mean Lilly?”

 

“Stretch.” Lilly frowns.

 

Dean tilts his head to the side. “The kid that was obsessed with her?”

 

“He hasn’t been the only one… He went the furthest, but when Mae’s outta whack, people around her get… Outta whack. I usually could step in, make them back off… But I think when they’re already predisposed to…  _ Illness _ , it makes it worse... ” Lilly admits with a frown.

 

Sam tilts his head and looks at Lilly in disgust. “Are you trying to suggest that Mae might be the monster she’s afraid she is?”

 

“No!” Lilly immediately denies as she looks up at Sam in disbelief. “That’s not what I’m saying. She doesn’t know she’s doing it. It’s not intentional. She didn’t even know she was a damn fae till this year, how the fuck is she supposed to know what she can and can’t fuckin’ do. She’s been working with Thoth and Maat, since she found out, but there’s been a lot of roadblocks in that process  _ Sam. _ ” She seethes angrily as she glares at him. “And do you know what might help speed along that fuckin’ process? Another damn fae!”

 

Sam shakes his head. He felt sick. They had certainly killed creatures without them killing humans. Just the idea that humans were being harmed was enough to bring hunters in. How many hunters had started to investigate the deaths in Mae’s family. How many had looked into strange illnesses? How many connected the pieces back to Mae.

Thoth lifts an eyebrow as he watches Dean pull Lilly onto his lap and away from Sam, holding her to him firmly.  Bobby looked upset, and Sam looked ill. This wasn’t going anywhere good, he could feel Lilly’s anger and fear radiating from the ring hanging around his neck. “Perhaps we should all take a deep breath, and think about this rationally.” 

 

Castiel shakes his head. “Killian said something about the way he feeds on energy being more direct than the way that Mae does. Mae gets energy from plants and positive emotions from multiple sources, without draining them. I don’t believe she could directly kill someone, the way Killian almost killed Lilly.”

 

Dean frowns. “But still, doesn’t that seem dangerous?” 

 

Lilly shrugs out of Dean’s arms and stands as she glares at him. “Aren’t we all fuckin’ dangerous?” She seethes. “And it’s not like it’s fuckin’ permanent, if she can just go to her damn lessons.” She spits out as she crosses her arms over her chest, her face red with anger. 

 

“Whoa! Lilly, calm down.” Dean says as he leans back and holds up his hands defensively.

 

“What lessons?” Bobby asks, trying to continue the conversation in a less dangerous direction.

 

“With me.” Thoth responds. “We’ve been working on barriers for her empathy, and her ability with plants, but they’ve been on hold while she’s been working with Maat over the trauma she suffered with the first demon. I’ve been focusing on Lilly and teaching her defensive spells.”

 

Sam nods. Mae had already explained this to him, and while he wasn’t exactly thrilled with it, he could now see that it was probably necessary. 

 

“I was waiting for Maat’s go ahead before we continued her lessons, but Lilly is not inaccurate, the process would be greatly sped along if we knew what her abilities actually were. The only Kith I’ve ever interacted with were the Eshu, and they don’t seem to share many traits, at least as far as I’ve noticed.” Thoth admits with a frown.

 

“I feel inclined to add to our current situation by mentioning that the fae mentioned a legend among their people.” Castiel adds with a sigh.

 

“What kinda legend?” Bobby grunts not liking the sound of the angel’s words.

 

“He seemed upset that Mae didn’t know anything about herself.” Castiel explains. “And mentioned that it takes a special line to breed with humans. He himself cannot father children with humans.”

 

Lilly takes a deep breath but nods. “He talked about, I’m guessin’, his king, and another coming together… And that she specifically should avoid angels, namely of the arch variety.”

 

Bobby sighs as he wipes a hand down his face. “What the fuck’s that s’pose ta mean?”

 

Thoth takes a deep breath. “I had found it odd that she was half human and half fae. I had never come across anything that suggested such a coupling could exist. But the legend, more importantly a special line, would explain how it became possible. Of course this is mere speculation, I would have to gather more information to be sure.”

 

Lilly crosses her arms as she watches the brothers with a frown. She had absolute faith that Bobby would never harm Mae, but she was still on the fence when it came to Dean and Sam taking this in stride, and if either of them did anything to hurt Mae it was going to be disastrous for all of them. She frowns as her eyes land on Sam, her stomach turning with fear and apprehension. She felt sick to her stomach. She should have just lied, and talked to Castiel and Thoth in private. “If you hurt her, I’ll fucking murder you myself.” She turns her eyes to Dean. “And if you try anything, I’m bouncing. Angel’s be fuckin’ damned. It’s not her fault River fuckin’ left her in the damned dark on this shit. You wanna be worried about one of us hurtin’ people you look at fuckin’ me.”

 

“Lilly!” Bobby reprimands with a frown, as he immediately stands and closes the distance between the two of them. She was obviously worried, and he couldn’t blame her. He remembered her fear and hesitation when she had told him she was a priestess last year. Had been seriously concerned Dean was going to leave her if not kill her. He would be lying if he didn’t admit he had shared some of her fears, but it had become obvious to him they had just been that, fears. The guys had both taken the girl’s origins in stride. He’d been proud of both Sam and Dean, but he was worried where this was going.

 

Thoth stands as he and Castiel both share a glance of concern, both ready to jump in if necessary. One ready to pull Lilly to his home, the other prepared to put the brother’s to sleep.

 

Sam draws away from Lilly as if she had burned him. “Hurt her? Why the fuck would I hurt Mae? Are you fucking insane? What part of the last two years makes you think I would fucking hurt her.”

 

“Your shitty fuckin’ reactions.” Lilly growls as her eyes narrow with anger. 

 

Sam shakes his head and stands from the couch. “Fuck you Lilly. I would never hurt her. I’m worried about how she’s going to feel about all this, and trying to figure out the best way to tell her. We can’t fucking keep her in the dark about it. I’m not making the mistake of hiding something from her again. It’s a lot to take in. I’m fucking glad Cass told me to take her to bed. I’m worried. She’s so scared about what she can do, and being different. She freaked out about Lilith and Lucifer and just, Fuck you Lilly.” He runs his hands through his hair and shakes his head again. He couldn’t believe he was having to defend himself, defend how he felt about the woman he loved. 

 

Lilly looks him up and down and frowns. Had she jumped the gun? It wouldn’t be the first time, but she really couldn’t stand their reactions. Was it fair to them? Probably not, but she really didn’t care. She was with Mae on this one, and Killian’s words had a certain truth to them. How the fuck had they ended up with Winchester’s with being the freaks they were? They killed other people like them for a living. What made them so fucking special anyways? Though she felt the slightest bit better at his response. She could handle his anger and disgust at her accusation, she was relieved by it. She couldn’t imagine Mae’s response if Sam turned on her over this. Something she had zero control over, had in fact been born into. There was no changing what you were, there was only accepting it. “Good. I’m glad we’re on the same fuckin’ page then.” She shrugs indifferent to his anger. 

 

Dean blinks as he looks between his brother and girlfriend. “That was an intense way to test loyalty.” He reprimands.

 

Lilly turns and looks at Dean with a frown. “Was it? You two were sure taking your sweet ass time coming to terms with the facts.”

 

Bobby rolls his eyes. “Come on Lilly. Like Sam said, it’s a lot of shit to think about. I’m over here myself thinking about how this all is gonna affect Mae and what we can do to help her or hell, I even considered just not telling her. Not like that’s ever been a way to go, but damn. This is a lot gidjit. You can’t get mad at men for shifting through the piles and taking a little longer to realize it don’t fucking matter. She’s my goddaughter. I was there in the hospital when she was born and watched her grow up. She’s yer fucking sister, family don’t end with blood, jit. As far as these two idjits, hopefully you can get off your protective big sister saddle and see that what she is don’t matter none, we all know who she is.”

 

Lilly frowns as she drops her eyes and shifts with discomfort. Bobby’s proverbial slaps were nothing new, but they had become more rare over the last few years. She didn’t disagree with him, but their silence and their expressions had slowly been eating at her alreadys short fuse, couple that with the last few days, well day, and it was nearly non existent. She’d forced their hands on the matter. But this was the exact reason she’d reached for Castiel’s help in the first place. She loathed being this emotional, but she hadn’t been able to stop herself. How did Mae do this every second of the day? It was fucking exhausting. 

 

Thoth shakes his head and settles back into the recliner. “Well, she certainly made you all own  how you felt faster.”

 

Castiel nods as he shifts out of his aggressive stance.

 

Sam slumps back onto the couch and groans in frustration. “You both thought we were gonna do something to her too?” He accuses.

 

Castiel shakes his head. “I am not a mind reader Sam, I could tell something was troubling you, but I never believed you would intentionally cause Mae any harm. Your silence however. Had Mae been in this room for the conversation, would have hurt her deeply. Perhaps this was part of what Lilly meant by your reactions sucked.”

 

Lilly gestures towards the angel. “Cass gets it and he barely recognizes emotions.” She frowns. She was not apologizing. 

 

“Sorry. Every time I asked a question, someone jumped down my throat.” Dean glares at Lilly for a moment before his eyes soften. “But I get it babe. I promise I was trying to think of tactful ways to ask important questions.”

 

“Don’t hold your breath though.” Sam scoffs.

 

“So now that, that’s out of the way.” Thoth clears his throat. “What else did Killian share?” 

 

“About Mae specifically, not much. But he mentioned Seelie and Unseelie, and how most Sylph were the former, if that means anything to you?” Lilly sighs as she looks at Thoth. 

 

“The easiest comparison would be darkness and light. Seelie being the light, unseelie being the darkness. They’re often at war but, as with most opposites, you can’t have one without the other. Most kiths fall under either or, but it’s not unheard of for certain fae to switch their allegiances. From what I understand, some kith lines stay neutral. I do believe the fae that choose the side opposite of their kith are cut off from their families, and the rest their kith, so it is a very rare fae that chooses to walk that path.” Thoth shakes his head and sighs. “However the fae are a very secretive race, so it was extremely difficult to gather information about them when they were actively passing through the hedge to visit our realm. I only know so much about this particular topic because as with most species at war, it is hard not to insult their enemies while intoxicated.” 

 

Lilly can’t help but to smile at his explanation. He would get someone drunk so they’d spill their damn guts.

 

“Right, so I’m hearing she’s a light fae then?” Dean asks. “That doesn’t sound bad.” 

 

Thoth shrugs. “Technically, she’s neither. She hasn’t been accepted by the fae court. But Sylphs as a kith are members of the seelie, if that is what you are looking for.”

 

Bobby frowns. “Anyway to look up fae legends?”

 

Thoth shakes his head. “Not without crossing the hedge. I’ve been trying to talk to some old friends, but since I am not willing to disclose my reasoning for my inquiries I’ve had no luck on the matter.”   
  


Castiel frowns. “Do you know how to cross the worlds.”

 

“I wish.” Thoth frowns. “It would make this a lot easier if I could.” He turns to Lilly. “Where is Killian now?”

 

“Getting the fuck outta dodge apparently.” Lilly shrugs. “After Zachariah showed up, he scattered. I can give you his number if you like, but I doubt he’ll be answering any more of my calls.” She admits with a frown.

 

“Why not?” Dean asks suspiciously. 

 

“Because he was not very forthcoming when we were speaking, so I threatened him.” Lilly sniffs indignantly.

 

“You threatened him?” Sam asks skeptically.

 

Dean shakes his head at his Sam from behind Lilly and mouths, “The short ones are insane.”

 

“Are you trying to say that I can’t be threatening?” Lilly demands with a glare.

 

“I’m saying you’ve seen him, what, three times? What did you do?” Sam struggles to keep his face straight; Dean’s antics over Lilly’s shoulder was making it nearly impossible.

 

“Threatened him with us.” Castiel state as he gestures to everyone in the room.

 

“Oh. You threatened him with another angel and a god.” Sam grins.

 

Lilly pouts at Castiel as she lets out a sigh.

 

“And you two. And Bobby.” Castiel adds. 

 

“So he knew about hunters?” Dean asks.

 

“Apparently...” Lilly shrugs. “He was more worried bout you and Samsquanch then he was them.” She frowns before she turns to Dean. “And do you do like a male monster monthly spread or something?” She asks accusingly. “Or is it just like a male sex monster thing to want your d?”

 

Dean gives Lilly a perplexed look. “What? Why? What?!”

 

“Good job Lilly.” Sam smiles and shakes his head. “Ya broke him.”

 

“It was a serious question.” Lilly frowns. “I heard the tone.” She huffs.

 

“What fucking tone?” Dean spits, finally able to speak.

 

“I do not understand what the ‘d’ is?” Castiel frowns. “Does it stand for Dean?”

 

Bobby facepalms. “How did- No.” He shakes his head, as he shoots a glare at the snickering god.

 

“Yes, Lilly explain your colloquial terms to the angel.”

 

“It’s his dick Cass, for some reason all the male monsters want Dean’s dick.” Lilly frowns as she crosses her arms over her chest and pouts.

 

Castiel tilts his head to the side. “It is understandable. He is an excellent human male specimen. Any part of Dean would be considered admirable.” He teases her, his eyes bright with amusement.

 

Lilly let’s out a noise of disapproval as she glares at Castiel. “And all of it’s mine.” She glares as she steps in front of Dean protectively, her eyes flashing gold with the intensity of her jealousy.

 

Thoth coughs to cover his laughter as Dean preens behind Lilly like a gaudy peacock.

 

Sam laughs and points at Dean’s silly antics. “Careful dude, you’re not seeing what I’m seeing. That’s jealousy.” 

 

“Lilly, ya gidjit, calm down and stop spitting like a riled up cat. He was teasing.” Bobby glares, though even his lips twitch at the corners.

 

“Was he?” Lilly questions as she narrows her eyes at Castiel. “Thinkin’ he can be all handsy and shit just cause he pulled him outta hell.”

 

“Babe. Cass is far more handsy with Mae than me.” Dean snickers as he pulls her back into his lap. “He hugs her all the time.”

 

Castiel tilts his head and nods. “That is true.”

 

“Watch it.” Sam snaps at Dean, before he turns to Castiel with a glare.

 

“Yer all jits.” Bobby rolls his eyes, before he turns to Castiel. “You stop poking the insecure bears.”

 

“ _ Hey! _ ” Sam and Lilly both object.

 

“Well, as entertaining as this serious conversation has been, I seem to find myself with a lot of reading and research to do. If you think of anything else, you know how to reach me.” Thoth stands from the recliner and surveys everyone in the room before he disappears.

 

Bobby grunts. “I’m with that one. I still got other shit that needs researchin’ and some shit that needs movin’ parently. Anythin’ else ya’ll can think of let me know.”  He gruffs as he shakes his head. What he was really looking forward to though, was gettin’ his hands on those books Thoth had collected, but he could wait.

 

Castiel frowns when he realizes Lilly was still glaring at him. “Can I assist you?”

 

Dean looks from Lilly to Castiel and back. “Babe. Calm down. Cass doesn’t have a thing for me. He’s got it bad for a girl with postal daddy issues named Chastity.” He winks over at Castiel.

 

“Oh is that what you're still upset about?” Castiel asks with slight amusement. “I do not think that word work. I would not like being spanked nearly as much as you seem too.”

 

Lilly’s face bursts into a blush as she instantly looks down at the floor, cowed.

 

Sam snickers. “Right, on that unnecessary note. I’m going to check on Mae.” He states as he gets off the couch. Before he leaves he tries to throw Lilly a bone. “Why Samifer?”

 

“I had to give everyone nicknames to keep ya’ll separated. Sam slash Lucifer was too long, and implied the wrong thing….” Lilly shrugs.

 

“Gross Lilly.” Sam scrunches his nose at the mere thought.

 

“But he was in you.” Lilly teases, happy to throw the discomfort somewhere else.

 

“So, well… Then what would you call Cass?” This was awkward, what had he been thinking?

 

“Casselvak, obviously.” Lilly chirps.

 

Sam rolls his eyes. “Yeah, obviously.” He sighs, regretting his decision to ask as he walks out of the room.

 

“If we’re asking about our nicknames, why Crush?” Castiel asks as he looks to Lilly curiously.

 

“Sorry, yours wasn’t nearly as clever…” Lilly admits sheepishly. “Crush is just a really cute stoner turtle from Finding Nemo, that was very go with the flow.”

 

“Is this another movie I need to watch?” Castiel questions, still not understanding.

 

“I’m adding it to the list, yeah.” Lilly nods. “Mae will happily watch that with you.” She smiles. Pixar didn’t add nearly enough musical numbers for her to be interested, they were usually just sad, with no catchy music. 

 

Castiel nods. “It sounds enjoyable.”

 

Dean chuckles and stands. “So… Wanna pick up where we left off earlier?”

 

Lilly frowns as she thinks about it. “I actually think if we’re gonna be hitting the road with the two of you, I need to repack.”

 

“Why did you unpack?”

 

“That’s not what I said, I said repack. Shit changed, so the shit that’s coming with me also needs to change.” Lilly admits as she stands. “Also, I figured I should go gather the ingredients to summon a king, for when you and Sammy wanna get the colt. And find out what the hell I did to ward the house in the first place so I can do that. I have books that need to come with me now, that I didn’t before. And herbs and  a couple of other things. I need re do my laundry, and pack more cleaning supplies, then I need to call and order things for the house. Organize shit for the shop, St Mary’s, and the half way house. Oh and the garden of course, will need looking after or the rat problem will be insane when we get back. I told Mae that I’d make sure the fall festival still happens, so I need to find some volunteers for that. I need to give Jody a real call, let BACA know we won’t be around. Arrange for the power to go on auto draft, which means talking with Gus about the accounts-”

Dean shakes his head and holds up a hand to stop her. “Okay! Gods. Just… Tell me how to start helping.”

 

“Nah, it’s fine I got it. It’s tedious shit, and I’m sure you’ve got other things you need to do yourself.” Lilly shrugs. “It shouldn’t take me that long to get everything in order.” 

 

Dean shrugs and turns to Castiel. “So then, what other movies have you watched?”

 

Lilly smiles and shakes her head before she heads out of the room. Dean was about to find out how frustrating it could be to watch non-cartoons with Castiel, and she needed to make a list so she wouldn’t forget shit. It would help get her mind off of their problems at the very least. She still had Mae to worry about. And the future was weighing on her. The last thing she needed to worry about was children that would hopefully never even be a thing to distract her. She needed to make sure she brought some of those books with her. She was determined to not actually bear children for any angel, regardless of who they were riding, but till then some mundane shit to distract her from her thoughts would be more than welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thankfully everyone seems to be getting onto the same page about the best way to proceed, but how long will they stay there? We had a lot of highs and lows throughout that conversation, Lilly and Sam both seem to be butting heads all over again when it comes to Mae. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! We really hope you're enjoying our work. Don't forget to leave us a comment. It really makes our day when we get to hear from you reader. l


	28. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our Bakers and Hunters carve some time out for themselves as they prepare to leave the sanctuary that is Mystic, deciding that, once again, staying on the move is best if they hope to stay off the radar of the Angels and Demons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Indigo_Guardian_Phantom_Knight for alerting us to the fact our chapter hadn't been posted. :)
> 
> We hope you all, if you celebrate it, had a fantastic Thanksgiving. We know we sure got busy with all the work that goes into family gatherings. But, without further talk, we hope you enjoy the chapter. It is very full of fluffy feels.

65

 

Mae sits up and looks around the room in confusion. It was dark; but Sam wasn’t in bed with her. With a pout she crawls out of Sam’s bed and goes to the partially open door. There were no lights on in the hallway either. She sets off to find someone, starting in the kitchen. It’s doesn’t take her long to make her way through the empty house to the game room, where she finally finds signs of life.

 

“Good morning Mae.” Castiel smiles as he looks up from the tv where he was watching Rambo between Dean and Sam, who were asleep on either side of him.

 

“What’s going on in here?” Mae grins at the sight of the two sleeping brothers.

 

“Sam and Dean were attempting to educate me on movies. I believe they gave up after I questioned everything that happened in Back to the Future.” Castiel admits with a frown. “I still do no how understand how that movie is supposed to make sense.”

 

“Amateurs.” Mae giggles softly, “I can’t believe they tried to start with something so campy.”

 

Castiel tilts his head to the side. “Campy? Is the genre?” He asks with a frown.

 

“Uh, kind of. It means that it’s a really over the top.” She shrugs, “They look serious, but they really aren’t. It’s not supposed to make sense. It’s suppose to be funny and, feel like a science fiction movie.

 

Castiel frowns. “I do not believe I enjoy the camp in movies.”

 

“Campy, You don’t like campy movies.” Mae gently corrects.

 

“I do not believe I enjoy campy movies.” Castiel corrects himself.

 

“That’s okay, not everyone does.” She assures him with a small smile.

 

“Dean seems too.” Castiel frowns as he looks to the television, where a vietnam vet was half dressed in fatigues in the middle of an urban setting. “I am trying. I just do not understand how this is considered ‘the best’.”

 

Mae scrunches her nose at the image on the screen and shrugs. “Dean does seem like an action movie type of guy.”

 

“It’s more like shitty eighties action movies more specifically.” Sam yawns as he adjusts so he’s sitting up. “Sorry babe. I didn’t mean to fall asleep down here.” He apologizes to her.

 

“Don’t be silly.” Mae sits on the arm of the couch to kiss Sam’s head. “You guys hardly ever just get to enjoy yourselves. Besides, it was adorable.” If he hadn’t woken up she would have gotten the camera. Lilly was going to be so pissed that she missed this.

 

Sam smiles as he pulls her to his lap, stealing a quick kiss. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Much better. Kinda groggy and disoriented, but so much better.” She quickly assures him.

 

Castiel frowns as he looks over Mae in concern. “How badly disoriented?”

 

“Like I was confused why it was so dark when I woke up.”

 

“The sun set six hours agos.” Castiel informs her.

 

Sam shoots a look at Castiel. “I think she got that part Cass.”

 

“Yeah.” Mae smiles. “I didn’t mean to sleep so long.”

 

“It’s okay baby, I’m glad you got some rest.” Sam assures her as he kisses her temple. “But if you're still tired we can go back to bed and try again at reasonable hour.”

 

“Oh no. I didn’t mean to interrupt the guys night.” She shakes her head as she stands. “I’ve got a few things I wanted to work on before we leave anyways.” 

 

“Are you sure, because I really don’t mind.” Sam offers quickly. “I just had nothing better to do, and didn’t want to wake you.”

 

Mae grins before she pecks Sam on the cheek, “You should really try watching animes or cartoons with Cass. Those are much more fun.” She  Right Cass.”

 

“I do enjoy the cartoons, it at least makes sense when they don’t die.” Castiel nods.

 

“We settled on only watching animated films with him after he questioned Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Firefly.” Mae pouts.

 

“Ah,” Sam nods, “I can see that.”

 

“None of it made sense.” Castiel frowns. “That’s not how magic works. And there is certainly no ring that rules it all.”

 

“We wish that was how magic worked.” Mae continues her pout.

 

“It’s just fiction man.” Sam shakes his head.

 

Mae shakes her head before she bends to kiss Sam again. “I’ll probably be heading back to bed in about a few hours to get a little more sleep in my bed before we take off.”

 

“And you’re sure you don’t need  _ any  _ help?” Sam asks again with a frown.

 

“Relax Sam, even heroes need days off.”

 

Sam all but pouts. “You're sure?”

 

Mae nods before she lets out a small sigh. Sam was worried, and being a little overprotective, but she honestly couldn’t blame him. She wasn’t thrilled that she couldn’t remember getting tricked out of their house. “I was just, thinking of going through my mom’s room. It’s kinda silly that I haven’t gotten around to that yet, and Lilly’s conversation with Killian just got me thinking about it.”

 

Sam furrows his brows at that. “Why now? It’s like-” He pauses as he glances at the clock. “Midnight”

 

Mae shrugs. “Cause I slept all day, and we’re going to be heading out soon?”

 

Sam nods as he stands up. “All right. Let’s go then.”

 

Mae smiles up at him before she looks back at the TV. “But first, let me put Cass out of his misery.”

 

“Can I watch Finding Nemo?” Castiel asks. “Lilly said in the future I was like Crush, and I am curious.”

 

Mae’s face brightens. “I love that movie.” She claps softly before her smile slowly drops. “Wait… what? In the future?”

 

Sam sighs. “I’ll tell you about while we work in your mom’s room.” He promises her as he walks over to the DVDs, pulls out the blue box, and switches out the DVDs for Castiel. “Do you remember how to make it play man?” He asks Castiel as he hands him the remote.

 

“Yes.” Castiel nods as he accepts the remote.

 

“Cool, enjoy the movie man.” Sam nods as he takes Mae by the hand and pulls her out of the game room, guiding her upstairs to the room with the celtic tree on the door. He could feel her bouncing behind him with anxiety and sighs. “So, I don’t know a lot, but I can give you the rundown that Lilly and Dean gave us.”

 

Mae nods. “Dean and Lilly saw the future?”

 

“Yeah, and it wasn’t pretty.” Sam admits with a frown as he opens the door, before he feels for the switch and flips it on.

 

Mae frowns at the amount of dead plants in the room. “I wondered where a lot of these had gone.” She admits sadly as she steps into the room.

 

Sam’s eyes sweep the room. “I’m sorry. Were they important to you?” He asks as he steps further into the room. It looked so out of place compared to the rest of the house. There were layers of dust and though it didn’t smell musty it was obvious that this room wasn’t cleaned regularly like the rest of the house, if ever.

 

Mae grimaces. “A lot of these were plants my mom brought back with her after she traveled, some where gifts I gave her.” She smiles as her fingers linger on a pot that she’d made in art class with the pottery wheel. Had it really been almost ten years? She bites her bottom lip, “I bet Gram and Pop moved all their stuff in here when they moved me in, and we just.. never got around to looking through it before they were gone too.”

 

Sam frowns as he turns to look at her. “Are you sure you want to do this right now Mae?” He wraps an arm around her shoulder and steps closer as he gently pulls her to his side.

 

Mae shrugs. “It’s like cleaning Pop’s workspace or their bedroom.” She sighs, “I knew I had to do this eventually. Maybe there’s something in here that I need to see.”

 

Sam shifts in discomfort at that. “Like what?” He asks curiously. 

 

“I don’t know.” Mae admits, hugging Sam around the waist tightly before she walks away, “I just remember Lilly once vaguely telling me that the answer to what I am was somewhere in the house.” It was overwhelming in here, but she had to start somewhere. She walks over to one box and starts looking through it. “She said I found something on one of the Tuesdays from hell you guys went through together.”

 

Sam rolls his eyes. Of course Mae found something when she wouldn’t have remembered it. And of course Lilly never bothered to mention it to them. _ Shocking. _ He sighs. “So do we have any idea what this mystery item is?” He asks with a frown as he walks over to the boxes, and starts sorting through the contents. 

 

“Nope. I guess I’ll just know it when I see it.” Mae guesses as she pulls out one of the scrap books her mother kept of the places she had been to. “So, the future?”

 

Sam sighs as his eyes sweep over to Mae. “You sure you're up for digging through the past, while we talk bout the future?”

 

“Sounds like the perfect spot to just appreciate my present for a little bit.” Mae smiles over to him before she starts digging in the box again.

 

Sam frowns as he studies her for a moment. There was bound to be some painful memories in this room, and from what Dean and Lilly had mentioned, their future was just nightmarish. “If you’re sure…” Sam sighs as he looks down.

 

Mae frowns as she looks back up at him. “You make it sound like we’re all dead or something,” Her eyes widen in a sudden understanding, “Or did we get caught?”

 

“Well,  Lilly and her gods are the only ones who ended up actually dying... After she got caught by Michael.” Sam sighs, as he runs his hand through his hair.  “There was a lot going on earlier and this really is a lot to digest.” He warns her gently as he settles next to her with a box. He still wasn’t sure what they were looking for, but he could at least point something out if it looked interesting. 

 

Mae turns and blinks at him. “Lilly got caught?”

 

Sam nods. “Yeah. On the night she and I went to rescue you.” He sighs.

 

“Oh.” Mae frowns as she puts the pieces together. “I got caught. And then she got caught trying to get me. What about you?”

 

Sam looks down at the box he was blindly rummaging through. “I said yes.” He admits with a frown.  

 

Mae drops the book she was holding. “What?”

 

Sam looks up at the sudden sound, his eyes sweeping over Mae in concern. “That is why I didn’t want to talk about this and look through these things.” He points out with a frown.

 

Mae purses her lips. “Why would you say yes?”

 

“Apparently Lilly and I came up with a plan. Something went wrong, and I said yes, and she got caught.” Sam frowns with a shrug. “It sounded really shitty of us to do, hearing it in hindsight, but I guess there were some risks involved for the both of us.” 

 

Mae nods and looks away. “How far in the future were they?”

 

“Five years.” Sam admits as he runs a hand through his hair while watching her carefully. He didn’t want to scare her, but he wasn’t sure keeping her in the dark was the right move either.

 

Mae bites at her bottom lip. “Is it like a set in stone thing? Can we try to make it better?”

 

“Well I mean, TFG Dean, as Lilly called him didn’t seem to recall going to the future, so that already changed something, and then Cr-future Castiel allowed Thoth to take his memories, so we’ll learn some shit from that too I’m sure.” Sam tells her. 

 

Mae smiles and presses her hand to her heart in relief, “Then we’ll just work really hard to change it.”

 

“We can’t change it, if we don’t know the little details. Lilly is proof of that. She ran instead of telling us when Vincent was going to come for her and ended up getting kidnapped by cultists. God only knows what the fuck happened to her with them, but it couldn’t have been pleasant.”

 

Mae frowns and shakes her head. “No. No it wasn’t.”

 

Sam furrows his brows. “Did she actually tell you?” He asks, feeling slightly guilty and concerned. He’d never bothered to ask Lilly. He just assumed she would have lied about it, or dismiss his concerns. He wasn’t big on pushing her. It usually lead to fighting and so he picked his arguments with her carefully.

 

“Not all at once.” Mae furrows her brow and bends back to the box. “She would say something strange about snakes or electricity, one time she kinda freaked out when we walked past an aquarium.”

 

Sam tilts his head to the side. “An aquarium?”

 

“Yeah. The followers kept her in a huge glass tank most of the time. When they didn’t tie her to a whipping post or strap her down to a table to torture her; they dumped snakes on her when she wouldn’t talk to them, or when they didn’t like what she said.”

 

“She’s got a phobia of snakes right?” Sam winces a bit at the thought, he and Dean had been in some rough situations, but Lilly really didn’t have the training or experience him and Dean did. He frowns. Had Lilly really just dumped this shit on Mae? That seemed... Oddly out of character for her. Usually getting any information from Lilly was like pulling teeth with rocks and stones.

 

“Yep. Desensitisation did not make her feel any better. And snakes still hate her.” Mae shakes her head sadly. “You know, I don’t know if she even remembers telling me most of this. I never asked.” 

 

Sam frowns. “I don’t think she’d forget something like that.”

 

“Oh… Well,” Mae crinkles her nose and smiles sheepishly as she rubs the back of her head. “We were really drunk. The only reason I remember is because Cass gave the memories back to me. Or healed the blackout part of drinking too much.”

 

“Oh…” Sam sighs as he pulls out several books. “When we couldn’t get a hold of the both you, after Pamela. I remember that.” He shakes his head. “You two.” He breathes. 

 

Mae nods before she grabs another box, “I know. But, we felt a lot better after that.”

 

“Well there’s that at least.” Sam admittes with a half grin as he opens one of the books and flips through the pages, finding nothing of interest before he sets it to the side. He felt slightly guilty that he had never asked Lilly about her time when they had been stuck in Loki’s loop; worse for not asking more about the followers. He was surprised that even drunk Lilly would share anything like that with Mae. It also set his mind spiraling down a dark path. 

 

How had Mae taken it? She’d never even mentioned any concerns or fears to him, though it wasn’t like he’d ever bothered to ask. He frowns, he’d shared his thoughts and feelings about Dean, so what had stopped her? Was she worried for Lilly? Or did she not trust him with the information? Was he really that big of an ass hole? Or was she Lilly so secretive that Mae wouldn’t ever dream of talking about it? Did Mae feel guilty for knowing something Lilly might not have wanted her to know?

 

Mae tilts her head to the side as she takes in emotions. He was feeling guilty, nearly agonizing over something. She goes back to looking through boxes before she continues. “Yeah. After that she never brought it up again, and I figured it would be best to just let it be. The only time we even brushed the topic was when we saw a news report about a cult of snake worshipers committing suicide after doing  a bunch of awful snake alterations to themselves. ”

 

Sam quirks his eyebrow at that. “What news report?” He asks confused.  “Was she sure it was them?” He asks with a frown as he opens another book and starts scanning it.

 

Mae shrugs and frowns. The memory of the news report made her sick. “Lilly thinks it was Loki.”

 

Sam looks over to Mae in confusion before he remembers that it been the trickster who’d actually managed to track her down in the first place. “Right. He found her.” He shakes his head. That was still confusing, but he’d brushed it off when she returned, and had never gotten around to asking Lilly why the god had gone and found her in the first place. 

 

“Yeah. I guess he felt bad that she’d gotten wrapped up in a trick that wasn’t meant for her. At least that’s what he said when he found her. Lilly was shocked that he would go back and deal with them like that, but she thinks it’s the only thing that makes sense. I mean, it was really bizarre.” Mae tilts her head as she pulls out a sketchpad with her mother’s name on the cover.

 

Sam quirks his eyebrow, having a hard time picturing Loki actually caring one way or another about Lilly’s well being in the slightest. He was suddenly concerned about the Norse god’s interest and motivations. “Weird.” He breathes out with a shake of his head. “This book isn’t in english, it looks gaelic.” He frowns as he hands her the green leather bound journal. “It’s handwritten too.” He adds with an encouraging smile. 

 

Mae frowns and sets the sketchpad aside and accepts the journal. She reads the front cover quickly and smiles as she translates it for him. “To my dearest daughter on your seventeenth birthday. My love for you spans worlds.” She looks up at Sam in excitement before she jumps up to sit on the bed. With her heart in her throat she cracks the book open to start reading, ignoring the puff of dust that swirl at her disturbance. 

 

Sam watches her with apprehension, wishing he could have read the book before handing it to her. He had no idea what was going to be written in those pages. He walks over and sits next to her, wrapping one arm around her before he pulls her close to him. If he couldn’t protect her from whatever was about to happen, the least he could do was be here for her.

 

Tears prick at Mae’s eyes as she looks over the pages filled with her mother’s beautiful handwriting and tiny sketches. “She was going to tell me everything on my birthday, like she and my dad had decided to do after they had me. I guess she was worried that someone was after us, so just incase she wrote it all down for me.” A tear slides down her cheek as she leans more into Sam’s arms. “She just wanted me to have as normal of a childhood as I could before I knew the truth.” She felt so guilty for all the anger she’d felt towards her parents recently.

 

Sam can’t help the concern that floods him as he looks at the pages and then back to Mae. “You don’t have to read this right now if you don’t want to. I know you're still feeling like crap after that stunt Killian pulled.” He quietly assures her as he wipes away her tears with his thumb.  He sighs at her words. Had River’s hopes even been fulfilled? Had Mae ever had a chance at a normal childhood? He remembered Lilly’s words from earlier and found himself doubting it. “You can always read it later.” He whispers into her hair as he gathers her closely. Though he was curious if Bobby or Lilly, maybe even Thoth could read it and let them know the contents. But he felt bad that the rest of them already knew more than she did, assuming that anything Killian said had been the truth.

 

Mae closes the book and holds it tight to her chest. “I guess I have a book to read during the car trips we’re going to be taking huh?” She smiles up at him.

 

“Seems like.” Sam gives her a half smile before eyeing the book. Was he even giving her enough credit? She’d obviously handled Lilly’s secrets without breaking. Surely she’d be able to handle this, right?

 

“What’s wrong?” Mae tilts her head to the side before she sets the book down and shifts in his lap so she was face to face with him.

 

Sam sighs as he looks down at her. “I’m just worried about you.” He admits hesitantly. “I know how worried you are about this.” He pauses as he tips her chin so that she was looking directly at him. “I need you to know it really doesn’t matter. Whatever you learn, whatever's written in here, it doesn’t change how I feel about you. I love you regardless Mae.”

 

Mae bites at her bottom lip. “Even if I’m a monster?”

 

Sam shakes his head. “You could never be a monster baby. It doesn’t matter what you are, it matters who you are.” He pauses as he presses a hand to her heart. “And I don’t think anything in that book could possibly change the amazing woman that you are Mae. It won’t change how sweet and caring you are. It won’t change how beautiful you are. How forgiving. How open and loving you are. Those words, whatever she wrote in there won’t change you, unless you let it.” He shakes his head as he grins at her. “But even then, I can’t believe there’s one monstrous thing about you… Well besides your sex drive, but I can live with that.” He chuckles lightly as he moves his hand to caress her cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumb, before he leans down and kisses her temple. “I love you. Nothing will ever change that.” He whispers softly against her smooth skin.

 

Mae grins and wraps her arms around his neck before she presses her lips to his passionately. “Thank you.” She mumbles as she holds herself closer to him. 

 

Sam claims her lips with a smile, relaxing into her familiar passionate drive. After a moment he looks over her thoughtfully. He’d avoid being too forward with her since she’d been rescued, but with everything he had learned today he selfishly just wanted to take refuge in her. “So, wanna go down to the basement, and utilize the last of our privacy?” He asks her with a boyish grin. “I mean if you're up for it.” He adds quickly. “It’s totally okay if you're not, just thought I’d offer…” He corrects himself quickly.

 

Mae grins at him mischievously. It had been a long time since they had been really alone. She was looking forward to being intimate with him again. She’d taken the time, had the talks with Maat. She wasn’t going to let Lillith control her still. “I love you.” She jumps off his lap and tugs on his hand. “Why are we still here? Grab the book, let’s go.” She teases as she playfully pouts and tugs on him.

 

Sam gives her a wide grin, and scoops up the green journal before he lets her ‘drag’ him out of the room. He knew they still had a lot to talk about, but for now he just wanted to spend the night with her.

 

66

 

Dean wakes up with a stretch and looks around the game room. His eyes land on the cartoon playing on the Tv and he turns to Castiel in confusion. “What happened to adult movies?”

 

“These make more sense.” Castiel responds absently, engrossed in the story of toys coming to life and battling with existential crises. “Mae came down earlier, she and Sam went upstairs.”

 

“Oh yeah. How was she?” Dean yawns and cracks his neck. It had been awhile since he’d fallen asleep watching TV like that.

 

“Disoriented and groggy, but she assured me she felt better and I didn’t sense any falsehoods.” Castiel informs him before his eyes go back to the television.

 

Dean nods and watches the movie with Castiel for a few moments before he shakes his head and stands. “I’ll leave you to your kid’s movie then. I’m going to go check on Lilly.”

 

“Heard.” Castiel states in a perfect imitation of Lilly, before he turns his full attention to the movie.

 

Dean chuckles before he heads into the kitchen. He’d tried so hard to convince the angel that the real treasures of TV land came in the form of action movies. He sighs as he walks into the empty kitchen to the sound of the washer and dryer rumbling. “Lilly?” 

 

Dean shakes his head and walks up the stairs. What was she cleaning now? Had she bought new blankets for his room already? No, that didn’t make sense unless she left.  His brow furrows when he catches a light on in a room at the other end of the hall. The room with the celtic tree on it. The dead plant memorial room. Why did Lilly decide to clean that room suddenly? He walks into the doorway and leans one hip against it as he watches her work inside, singing along to the music blasting from her headphones. “Babe?” He calls out, trying to get her attention without startling the hell out of her.

 

Lilly pauses as she looks around in confusion, a smile tugging at her lips when her eyes find Dean. “Sup Tex?” She greets loudly.

 

Dean smiles. “Hey.” He points to his ear with a finger.

 

Lilly’s eyes widen before she quickly pulls her earbuds out. “What? Sorry.”

 

“What cha doing in here?” Dean asks as he crosses his arms in front of his chest.

 

Lilly looks around in confusion. “Cleaning?” She responds as she drops her sponge in the suds filled bucket. She was nearly finished. She just had the boxes and planters to deal with.

 

Dean chuckles. “Well yeah, I can see that. But why?”

 

“The door was open, and there were dusty footprints leading away. It was like an invitation.” Lilly shrugs. “I’ve been waiting for that door to be open for years.”

 

Dean’s brow furrows. “You never cleaned in here because the door was closed?”

 

Lilly nods as she wraps her headphones up carefully and tucks them in her bra. “I think I’m pretty much done though. I’m not sure what Mae wants to do with this-” She gestures to the piles of boxes that were neatly stacked, with an assortment of shining planters that contrasted the dead plants on top of them. “But, I got rid of the damn dust, and the musty scent of dirt.” 

 

“Just in time to not be able to enjoy that almost every inch of your domain is clean.” Dean teases her with a small smile.

 

Lilly shrugs. “I’m not letting Mystic fall into disrepair just because we aren’t here. It’s an old house, it needs upkeep. Snow Cone agreed to clean it while we’re away.”

 

“Snow Cone?”

 

“Clay’s boyfriend.” Lilly nods, as she picks up the bucket.

 

“Right.” Lilly and her strange nicknames. Snow Cone? That had Lilly all over it. “You need any help?”

 

“I think I’ve done all I can do here. But, can you grab my notebook while I go clean out the bucket?” Lilly asks, nodding towards the perfectly made bed before she walks over to another door and disappears into a bathroom, the scent of bleach lingering with the swing of the door.

 

Dean nods and slips from the doorway to pick up the notebook. “So what’s this then?”

 

“Notes. I pretty much tied up our loose ends, but people had their own demands, so I made a schedule. When we head out, I’d like to pick up a planner, that was just what I had wrote my checklist on.” Lilly calls back from the bathroom.

 

Dean covers his smile with one hand as he reads over her list. The shop, St.Mary’s, Wright’s halfway house, the garden, Mae’s garden, the fall festival, the Browns, salt for Jake, Clay, Chief, Jody, accounts, Gus. Derick, house maintenance... The list just kept going; and to the side of every item on her list Lilly had written in even tinier, harder to read scratches. “Okay. Sure babe. Whatever you need. Look, I know ya don’t really like the idea of traveling around with us on cases and all, but I’m kind of excited to be getting to spend so much time with ya. And uh, look, I’m gonna do what I can to make sure you’re comfortable with where we stay. Okay?” 

 

“Alright.” Lilly chirps as she exits the bathroom, holding her cleaned bucket with assorted supplies spilling from it.

 

Dean glances up at her suspiciously. That was far too easy. “Alright?”

 

Lilly furrows her brows. “Yeah. Alright. Why?” She asks in confusion as she heads back into the hall to put the supplies away.

 

“Is this just cause you want Mae out of the house?” Dean questions with a tilt of his head as he follows after her.

 

Lilly looks over her shoulder with a frown. “Is what just cause I want Mae out of the house?” She asks confused.

 

Dean shakes his head. “I just thought this was going to be more difficult for you, I guess.”

 

Lilly lifts her brow. “I’m not thrilled about it, but yeah it’s better than the alternative.”  She sighs as she turns back to putting the chemicals back in their right places. “I mean, I still have to get my bags together, and work with Thoth on the wards before we go. I wouldn’t say no to sleep, but it’s not like completely necessary. All our shit’s in order. Everyone knows we’re not gonna be around, so that’s not gonna be a mess this time. However, I only organized it for a year out-” She turns to looks back at him. “Assuming that’s long enough? Is it?” She frowns as she looks to him in concern and worry. 

 

Dean walks over to stand behind her and bends to wrap his arms around her waist. He and Sam were uprooting them from everyone and everything they had ever known. He buries his face into her hair and takes a deep breath and just holds her close to him. He had no idea how to answer her, he wasn’t sure she even expected an answer.

 

Lilly tilts her head back so she could look at him. “I know I can be cunty, and difficult, but I really tried making it so I wouldn’t be a complete brat. You’re stressed enough without me spazzing out at every turn. I knew this was coming, I even earned some side cash so we can stay in not shit holes- No offense, without you know, pulling from any of my accounts. It seems Mae, has done something else according to Gus.” She shrugs, and honestly it did make her feel a bit better, and as an added plus had kept her mind away from some of her darker thoughts. The last couple hours had been busy and tediously, mind numbingly so, amazing at keeping her thoroughly distracted.

 

Dean slowly rocks from side to side with Lilly still in his arms. “Thank you Lilly.” He presses his lips to the crown of her head. “You know it is okay for you to spaz out when we’re not in emergency mode. But I do appreciate all the extra effort you’re putting into this. You’re awesome.”

 

Lilly smiles as she turns and nuzzles into Dean’s chest. “You have enough to worry about.” She mumbles. 

 

“Lilly, please give me something to do to help. Or at least let me show you how much I appreciate you. Your choice, or take both.” Dean wraps his arms around her tighter. “But I’m kinda going crazy not helping you.”

 

Lilly stands on her toes as she nips at his chest. “It’s my neuroticism Cowboy. And besides, it helped me too.” She leans back as she looks up at him. “And as much as I wouldn’t mind a more enjoyable distraction, there's still a couple things I need to do.” She admits with a frown.

 

“So give me a job.” Dean grumbles, feeling useless.

 

“How are you with herbs?” Lilly asks curiously. 

 

“I know what meadowsweet looks like.” Dean mutters. It looked like pain, and death, and hell. God damned christmas freak gods.

 

Lilly tilts her head at his tone. “That’s a step, and it will be one I need, so there's that.”

 

Dean tilts his head to the side. “What do you use meadowsweet for?”

 

“Pain relievers.” Lilly informs him with a shrug. “For when you don’t need opium, but still prefer herbs over aspirin. I wanted to restock the medical kits before we left as well… And a couple of other things need collecting for some other rituals, like summoning Crowley.” 

 

Dean shakes his head, glad to hear that the damned herb had a useful purpose. “Ah. Good thinking. If you give me a list I’ll drag Cass or Sam out with me and we’ll get that knocked out.” He smiles before it slowly falters. “I thought you couldn’t remember how to summon Crowley.”

 

Lilly blinks as she looks down. “Well the plants are labeled, so I’ll just make that list then.”

 

Dean purses his lips and holds her tight. “Lilly…”

 

“Yes?” Lilly asks as she looks back up at him with a forced smile.

 

“Did you lie to me about remembering how to summon Crowley?” Dean holds a finger up to her lips. “You have one chance to make this experience more pleasure than punishment.”

 

Lilly shifts in discomfort. “Lie is such a harsh word. You’d just gotten back, and I was worried…” She says carefully.

 

“Okay. Looks like you’re getting distracted.” Dean shakes his head as he picks her up and tosses her over his shoulders before he heads down to his room.

 

“Wait!” Lilly pouts. “This isn’t- I still have stuff to do.” She frowns.

 

“We’ll only be a few minutes. It’s not like you’re getting any rewards.”

 

Lilly pouts as she struggles to be put back down. “That’s not even fair Dean. It was like a year ago.”

 

“I warned you.” Dean shrugs, unable to keep a little smirk off his lips. He’d been hoping that he’d get to spend some time with her before they left. They were going to get no privacy for awhile, and he was very keen to finish what he had sharted, this excuse to pull her away from the work she was doing. Who was he kidding, telling her they’d only be a few minutes. He’d been meaning to talk with her anyways, and he could not think of a better way to get straight answers when she has soaking wet and begging to be touched.

  
  


67

 

Mae wakes up with a smile, as she stretches against Sam. Last night had been absolutely amazing, and she was proud that she hadn’t freaked out once, though in honesty that was most likely due to how sweet and slow Sam had been. He’d been so careful and gentle with her, it was hard to think of anything but him and his gorgeous hazel eyes as his love and concern for her brushed against her. It almost seemed like a waste that they hadn’t even tried to have sex since Lilith. She’d forgotten how much she loved his hands on her. How could she have forgotten that? Why had she been so scared to try? She turns and wraps her arms around him, pulling herself closer as she basked in his scent. Her lips trail kisses over his chest; her fingers splayed wide to touch as much of him as possible as she all but purrs in contentment. She could not have found anyone more understanding than her Sam, she was absolutely positive of it.

 

Sam let’s out a sigh of content as he lazily opens his eyes and looks down at Mae with a satisfied half smile. “Mornin’ baby.” He grumbles languidly as he pulls her to him closer. “How ya feelin’.” He asks huskily, his voice thick with sleep.

 

Mae presses every part of herself possible to him, enjoying the heat of his skin against her’s. “I’m great. Better than new.” She rubs her face against his chest with a smile. 

 

Sam’s lip pull into a very proud smirk. “Good, I’m glad.” He breaths as he runs his hand down up and down her smooth skin lazily, just enjoying the fact he was able to touch her again.

 

“Thank you, for being gentle with me. I know you were worried, but you-” Mae presses her lips to the hollow of his throat. “You just made the world go away, and I could just be with you, and enjoy you and feel how much you love me. Thank you. I’ve missed this.”

 

Sam lowers his gaze as he meets her beautiful viridian eyes. “Thank you for trusting me, I’d lie if I didn’t say I had missed this too.” He breathes as he leans down and rubs his face against her hair. “You’re amazing baby.” He says softly as he presses a kiss to her temple, and holds her as he rolls to his back, so that she was laying on his chest.

 

Mae can’t keep her hands off him as she runs her fingers delicately across his shoulders and presses her head to his chest so she can hear his heartbeat. “I love you, of course I trust you Sam.”

 

Sam can’t help the smile that tugs at his lips as she plays with his skin. “I love you too Mae.” He breathes as he kisses the crown of her head, feeling more at ease than he had in weeks. There was just something about being able to touch her like this again that took the edge off the current of stress that seemed to be constantly buzzing in him lately. It almost made everything feel normal for a moment. His Mae. She was certainly something else, and he couldn’t be happier.

 

Mae nuzzles her face against him, content to enjoy this moment for as long as they could stretch it before she tilts her head to the side. She was feeling better, and Sam was definitely in a much better mood. Could Kilian be right? Did she feed on people’s good emotions without even knowing about it? She frowns as she contemplates what that might mean. Was she hurting the people she loved without even knowing it? 

 

Sam alerts to Mae sudden stillness, his eyes narrowed in concern as he looked down at her. “What’s wrong baby?” He asks with a frown. 

 

“Do you-” Mae picks her head up so she can better see his face. “Do you think I feed off you?”

 

Sam sighs as he presses her to him tighter as he thinks about it seriously. He knew just dismissing it was going to upset her. He studies her for a moment before he shrugs. “Maybe. But you’ve never hurt me. I don’t think you could. And if this is what you feeding feels like, I really hope you only do this on me.” He finally admits as he leans down and kisses her nose. “I think I’d get pretty upset if this is how you made other people feel.” He admits with a crinkle of his nose. “I’d certainly be a lot more violent.” He adds with a frown. 

 

Mae crinkles her nose back at him with a small smile before she settles against his chest again, crossing her arms to support her chin while she watches him. “I need to figure this out, we can’t have a jealous Winchester on the loose.” She teases.

 

“We need to figure it.” Sam gently corrects her. “I don’t want you worrying about every detail you find out. You’ll get worry lines.” He teases her.

 

“Not my pretty face.” Mae claps her hands to her cheeks.

 

Sam chuckles as he ducks down and nuzzles his head against her. “You’d still be gorgeous, but still, I think you’d be happier without them.” 

 

Mae can’t help the grin. “You’re really not worried about it?”

 

Sam shakes his head. “Nope. Not in the slightest. We’ll figure this out together Mae.”

 

Mae nods. “I like the sound of that.” She lets out a small sigh of relief.

 

Sam smiles as he leans up and claims her lips. “Me too.” He whispers against her lips, before he lets his head fall back to the pillow. “I know this must be overwhelming, and probably scary, but I promise I ain’t goin’ anywhere.” He assures his tone somber. 

 

“You sure? You telling me you wanna stay stuck to this mess?” She grins as she teases him. It felt like forever ago that she had told him she was a free spirit kind of girl and that she would always be okay with whatever he wanted from their relationship. Up until some point last year, it had been true. She knew she loved him with a passion she had never felt for anyone before; she was sure she wanted more. Even with the end of the world looming over them, she wanted him. Maybe he tamed her wild heart, or maybe he set her free. She wasn’t sure, and honestly; she didn’t care.

 

Sam rolls his eyes. “You’re the farthest thing from a mess this odd little family of ours has.” He grumbles, and truly believed that. Even with Mae being half fae, she had her shit together better than the rest of them. Sure there were moments of doubts and times of trouble, but she was still the most stable out of the four of them. “And I couldn’t think of a better person to spend the rest of my life with Mae.” He adds with a grin.

 

Mae can’t keep the smile from her face. “Are we labeling?”  

 

Sam shrugs. “I wouldn’t be sure what to label us, but feel free to come up with something if you want.” He chuckles.

 

“I’m good with being called yours.” Mae admits with a smiles. “As corny as that sounds.”

 

Sam can’t help the smile that tugs at his lips as he leans down and claims her lips again. “I like it.” He assures her. “And I think it fits.”

 

“So, since we’re promising not to leave each other and all.” Mae teases. “I promise to stay with you too. No matter what.”

 

Sam lets out a sigh of relief. “I love you so much baby.” He chuckles as he quickly rolls them over so he was on top of her. “I was thinkin’ maybe we could go for a repeat of last night?”

 

Mae giggles under him before she picks her head up to gently nip his arm. “I love reruns.” She purrs, her eyes sparkling up at him.

 

Sam smiles down at her as he leans down and claims her lips again, deepening his kiss as his hands run down her sides. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get enough of her taste. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are we doing so far? We're still writing, plotting and planning, so if you have any ideas that you'd like to see this rag tag group travers, let us know. We're following-ish the cannon, though we change it where it would change if you add other characters, as well as adding our own story. We're hoping it's a good combination, though to warn you, as we nail down plot for future 'Pies' we realise that we are going to be cannon divergent. Again, we hope you are enjoying our writing, leave us a comment to let us know what you think. Lots of love guys!
> 
> \- Dark and Twisted


	29. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Lilly are have been 'up to no good' in Dean's room. What happens when they both realize they still have questions?

68

 

“Okay Lilly, you ready to talk to me yet?” Dean asks as he surveys his handy work. Not only was the creamy swell of her ass a rose pink and warm to the touch; a quick ‘slip’ of his hand revealed how turned on she was from his attention and lecturing.

 

Lilly can’t help the moan that slips at his touch. “Amun-fuckin-Ra Dean, fuck!” She breaths out as she fidgets on his lap.

 

Dean brings his hand down. He was treating her gently, holding back a bit more than he usually did. He was going for length rather than color this round. As it turns out, he’d apparently found a great combination for her. She was exactly where he wanted her. “That didn’t sound like a yes to me.” He lets his hand ‘slip’ again, but quickly pulls away.

 

Lilly lets out desperate moan. “Dean!” She whines as she attempts to shift. “Fine.” She breathes out when she can’t move, a pout on her lips. “I lied.” She pants out. 

 

“What I don’t understand is why.” Dean tells her as he gently starts rubbing her warmed up skin in delicate little circles.

 

Lilly closes her eyes as she lets out a deep breath. “I t-told you, you’d jus’ g-g-fuck-otten back.” She groans, unable to stop from fidgeting. “Can we pl-please-” 

 

“No. I told you you gave up your shot for this to be more than just a punishment.” Dean smacks one cheek with a sharp crack before he moves on to the other to give it equal attention. “But… I suppose I could try to let you earn a happy ending.” He admits slowly, as if giving the idea thought.

 

Lilly lets out a desperate whine, as she attempts to shift in attempt to find some friction. He was driving her fucking insane. “S-Sadist.” She grumbles.  

 

Dean nods. “I was trained by hell’s chief torturer.” He grins. Might as well own it. He knew that she was into some pretty kinky stuff. Hopefully it would add in driving her to talk.

 

Lilly whimpers as she shivers beneath him. “D-Dean.” She pouts with a throaty moan.

 

“Should I start interrogating you for answers instead of asking nicely?” Dean teases as he runs a single finger through the wetness. 

 

“F-fuck.” Lilly breathes as he teased her. “B-but, I answered.” She whines at the unfair treatment.  

 

Dean smiles as he resumes his gentle massage. “You answered my original question, but you never let me know if you wanted to earn a happy ending to this session.”

 

Lilly turns and sends him a smoldering look over her shoulders, her lips a perfect pout. “D-Don’t be s-stupid.” She growls at him.

 

“Oh, now I’m stupid huh?” He snickers as he adds a few more swats to each cheek, being careful to spread them out so her ass would maintain an even color.

 

Lilly groans in frustration as she attempts to press into his hand. “F-fuck Dean!” She growls throatily. “What?” She bite’s out.

 

Dean chuckles softly. “I’ve got a few questions for you. Answer me honestly and I will make it very worth your while.” He assures her as he drops his hand down to vigorously tease her. 

 

Lilly’s eyes roll back as she moans, her finger’s burying in the carpet of his rug as she attempts to grind into him further.

 

“But.” He removes his finger. “Lie to me and I will not be happy.” He brings his hand down on her ass in alternating smacks, smirking at the noises his treatment of her was eliciting.

 

“D-Dean.” Lilly groans with frustration. “T-That’s n-not even f-fa-fair.” She whimpers out. “C-Can’t we-Fuck- talk a-after?” 

 

“No. Take it or leave it.” Dean explains sternly.

 

Lilly hangs her head, part of her just thinking about her bedroom drawer, but the other part of her knew Dean would just be so much deliciously better. “W-What t-then?” She bites out, attempting to swallow back her moan, and failing.

 

“Thoth mentioned that he’d been training you to do defensive spells and stuff.” He says as he massages one cheek. “He also seemed upset about you having pre disposition towards blood spells. What does that mean, and why is he so, disapproving.”  

 

Lilly hangs her head in defeat. She was never getting sex today. That was such a loaded question. She really wasn’t sure why she had found herself leaning more blood spells. They just felt more natural to her, she had never even thought to question why. She groans in frustration. And now he just expected an answer when she could barely think coherently. This fucking sucked. She could barely even find the question. What was he asking her?

 

“Does it have anything to do with the fact you cut?” Dean continues. He knew that once she started talking to him about it he could always revisit after he rocked her world.

 

Lilly frowns at that. Was it? She’d never correlated the two. “M-Maybe?” She sighs. She knew he wasn’t going to like that, but she had really never thought that much about it.

 

“Are blood spells more dangerous?”

 

“T-To the Ca-Caster.” Lilly breathes out as she fidgets beneath him. “B-But th-they a-are s-simpler.”

 

Dean nods and slowly deepens his massage. “I see.” He rubs his hand softly across all of the warm skin of her ass. “What else have you and Thoth been working on?”

 

“Defensive spells.” Lilly spits out as she grinds against him. 

 

“That’s all?” Dean lightly bounces his hand around her ass cheeks.

 

“F-Fuck.” Lilly groans at his touch. “B-blessings. W-ards.” 

 

“And you were working on all that before we got sent into the future?”

 

“Yes.” Lilly nods desperate for him to touch her more.

 

“Then what are the new books for?” Dean asks before he runs his hand up and down her thighs.

 

Lilly shudders at his touch, as she felt another wave of heat fill her at his teasing touch. “Which?” She asks confused.

 

“You said that you had to pack more book because you saw what could happen. But you were working on wards and things like that before. So what did you see that you need the new research books for?”

 

“Ba-Barren.” Lilly moans with out thinking about it,

 

Dean’s hand halts in mid massage. “Barren what?”

 

Lilly let’s out a frustrated whimper before she takes several deep breaths, finally able to think a bit clearer. “Me. Barren. I’m looking for a- fuck-” She groans as she attempts to rub against him. “I don’t-” She closes her eyes, as the faces of two little children flash through her mind unbidden. Her movements stilling as she almost instantly finds herself losing the need Dean had been building in her.  

 

“You’re looking for a way to make yourself barren?” Dean furrows his brow. “Because you don’t want to have Michael’s kids if you get caught.” He finishes for her. He begins to absently rub her cheeks again. He supposed that made sense. Lilly loved children, but she was adamant that she would make a horrible mother. 

 

Lilly frowns, quickly finding her position to vulnerable as she turns to look at Dean. “Right.” She sighs. “If the only purpose of Mae and I in this is to spit out kids like fucking cattle, they can go find someone else to fill that slot. If they’re not gonna listen to reason, then I'll make the choice for them. I'm obviously not mother material.”

 

Dean shakes his head. “We can talk about it after I'm done here.” He smiles down at her. “It would be a waste for this sweet rosy ass to go unrewarded.” 

 

“I think I'll pass actually.” Lilly sighs as she shifts with discomfort. 

 

Dean rubs her thighs with the pads of his fingers. “Are you sure? I've got me some plans”

 

Lilly nods. “Sorry… I just - I cant.” She frowns as she looks to the floor disappointed with herself. This wasn't really fair to Dean, but she couldn’t. 

 

Dean lets out a sigh. He’d done this to her twice in two days; got her all riled up and then couldn't follow through. “I'm sorry Lilly. I didn't know.”

 

Lilly sighs. “S’my fault Dean. Can you please let me up?” She asks softly, wanting to be covered. This really wasn’t fair to him. She was going to have to talk to him about this, and she wasn't happy about the idea of doing so.

 

Dean easily lifts her from his lap and sets her feet on the floor, letting her skirt fall back around her ankles.

 

Lilly crosses her arms over her chest protectively. “I um… When we were there. I ran into the kids.” She admits as she looks to the ground. “I tried to avoid them, but one of them, he sought me out.” She offers lamely. This was harder than she had thought it was going to be. She wanted so badly to pretend it was her exhaustion pricking and burning the back of her eyes.

 

Dean nods. What he wanted more than anything was to pull her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay. That he would protect her, keep her safe. That he would never let Michael or anyone else touch her. He wanted to tell her it wasn't their future. That they were going to change it. But what if they couldn't? And what if she didn't want to be comforted right now? “Lilly, I…” He reaches out for her slowly, testing the air between them like it was electric.

 

“I know I should have told you.” Lilly sighs. “Both about researching that type of spell... And meeting Ash and River. It was shitty of me not to and I'm sorry. I would love to think I would have told you about it before doing something like that…” She rubs her hands up and down her arms as she feels shame and guilt sweep through her. But she doubted she did then, and she doubted she would've this time.

 

“Lilly… Babe. Come here.” Dean lightly rests his hand on her elbow and gently guides her back towards him. She steps into him with little hesitancy, and instantly hides her face into his chest once he holds her close. “I understand. This is your no.” He whispers against her hair as he scoops her up and slowly rocks with her. “And as for seeing your children in that future. No, you didn't have to tell me about that. But I'm glad you did. It helps me understand.”

 

Lilly shakes her head. “No.” She sighs as she forces herself to look at him. “I should have told you about that. This wasn’t fair to you in the slightest.” She drops her eyes. “I knew it was shitty of me not to talk about. You’re not a mind reader Dean, and if something like this happened to you, I’d expect you to tell me.” She admits as she bites her thumb. She knew that this particular piece of information was why she’d been so big on actually getting shit done. Why she’d been distracting herself. It was hard to look the facts in the face. She’d end up doing one of the things she’d feared most. She’d abandoned her children. Had hurt them. Gods only knew what the fuck else, and had left them to be taken care of by a dismal reflection of Mae and gods damn Satan of all people, because she wasn’t strong enough.   

 

Dean gently takes her hand away from her mouth and holds it firmly in his. He had no idea what to say. He couldn’t unsee it for her; and he couldn’t imagine how she felt. To face a future where she had brought children into the world and then had died in that future. He can’t bring himself to say anything, so he rocks her and rubs her wrist with his thumb.

 

“He fuckin’ had your damn eyes Dean. It was so fucking confusing.” Lilly admits her voice cracking. “He felt me. He knew. He was barely even a toddler.” She adds as her other hand comes up and digs into her chest over her heart. “I should have told you.” She repeats as her nails bite into her skin subconsciously, as if it would ease the pain. “I fucked up. I’m sorry.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Dean whispers. “I’m so sorry babe.” He pulls her back to look at her as he pulls both hands up to gently run through her hair, pulling it out of her face as he rubs his thumbs along her cheekbones. “I don’t even know what to say Lilly. I’m just so sorry you had to face that.”

 

Lilly can’t help the tears that fall as she looks at the floor. “I left them Dean. I got myself killed. They were being raised by fuckin’ lifetime original Mae and fuckin’ Satan.”

 

“Lilly. We don’t know what happened. Not really. We have no idea what shape you were in, or how that Lilly died. We don’t know what her motives were-”

 

“Does it matter?” Lilly asks her voice hitching as she tried to calm herself down. It’s like the damn floodgates had opened. “What type of person does that? I’m a fuckin’ monster.”

 

“Yes it matters. It fucking matters Lilly.” Dean grabs her face in his hands and looks her in the eyes. “What if she died trying to fight Michael off so her kids could escape. What if she knew they’d be better off with Mae. We have no idea what happened with Lilly, none. What if Michael was using the kids to manipulate her? What if he was hurting them? We have no idea. And we never will. He’s gonna get you over my goddamn dead body.”

 

An odd strangled noise leaves Lilly’s throat as the image of Dean’s neck being snapped beneath Sam’s shoe flashed across her eyes. The distinctive crunch echoing in her ears, as her nails sunk in deeper to her chest. She knew it hadn’t been Dean. He was holding her, but that didn’t stop the wave of sorrow from sweeping through her, adding chaos to her guilt, shame and self loathing. She’d tried so hard to get him to listen but he’d been too far gone. She doubted it had been her death specifically, but it was obvious to her that TFG Dean had been far from the land of sanity. He’d been driven by a singular purpose, and that had gotten him killed. In her desperation to save her family, she’d forsaken him, hoping he’d see that it was actually his brother, but her attempts had gotten him killed. Her head spun at the sudden realization, and she felt physically ill; the blood drains from her face and her ears began to ring. 

 

“Lilly breath.” Dean lets her face go and rubs her back. “What’s wrong?” What had he done? She was pale and shaking in his arms. “Lilly talk to me.”

 

Lilly shakes her head as she takes a deep breath. Had she forgotten to breath? Is that why her lungs were burning? “I’m going to get you killed.” She breathes out, as she scrambles to get away from Dean. Her head was reeling from the sudden epiphany. All she ever did was bring him pain and suffering. What the fuck was wrong with her? Even tonight, they’d been having a great time, and she had brought it down so quickly because she was fucked up. She’d always been a fuck up. She was going to get him fucking killed, because she never had any of her shit fucking together. 

 

Dean lets her go, but manages to twine his fingers with hers before she could get to far away. “No you’re not Lilly. Please just breathe for me.” Why was she suddenly so sure she was going to get him killed? Was it because of what they’d witnessed? Lucifer that killed that Dean. She was just trying to keep him from doing something he would have regretted for the rest of his life. “Lilly, stop.” He commands.

 

Lilly stops struggling at his sharp tone. Her body still trembling as she look at him in confusion.

 

Dean stands and closes the short distance between them before he puts a finger under her jaw and tilts her head up to look at him. “Lilly. We have to work together on this. We have to. We can’t separate, we can’t all work in secret on projects. We have to stick together, or we will end up right there in the same place they were. Do you understand me?”

 

Lilly looks up at him with wide eyes and nods. Her heart still hammering against her chest. 

 

“Good. Now breath for me.” Dean tells her as he bends down to pick her up bridal style.

 

Lilly takes several deep breaths as she leans against him, automatically. Her mind slowly calming down.

 

“Deep breaths Lilly. Good.” Dean settles back on the bed, resting his back against the headboard. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

 

Lilly’s silent for several breaths as her fingers twist in his shirt. “I’m not worth dying over Dean.” She says softly as she looks to him with a frown.

 

“I disagree. But I would rather live with you if that helps.” He smiles down at her as he rocks slightly.

 

“I’m sorry.” Lilly frowns as she pulls herself into a small ball on his lap.

 

“For what?” Dean asks before he chuckles at her action.

 

Lilly looks up and furrows her brows in confusion. What was funny about this? She frowns. Was she missing something? She looks down at her knees. “What?”

 

Dean shakes his head. “I don’t want to get waterboarded again.” He explains, trying to smooth the grin from his lips.

 

Lilly tilts her head in confusion, before she winces with guilt. “Sorry.” She whispers as she begins untangling her fingers from his shirt. What the fuck was she doing?

 

Dean loses his battle and he breaks into a grin. “Stop, I- Okay. Look.” He gestures at the way she’s sitting in his lap, like a little ball.”

 

Lilly looks down in confusion. 

 

Dean snorts. “This is one of the reasons I call you a Lilly-ball.”

 

“Oh.” Lilly frowns.

 

Dean takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I know. Not the time for teasing.” He wraps his arms around her and pulls her back against his chest. 

 

“Sorry.” Lilly sighs softly.

 

“You keep saying that, but I don’t know what you have to be sorry for?” Dean frowns.

 

“I’m sorry I’m a fuck up. And I’m-”

 

“No!” Dean snaps, his voice soft but stern in the absolute denial. “You are not a fuck up Lilly. Stop it. You can’t take on things that haven’t even happened yet. You little guilt ridden weirdo.” 

 

Lilly looks up at him with sad eyes. “I-I’m sorry.” She sighs. “I- I know. You’re right.” She admits softly. “I fucked up. I went about this wrong.” She shakes her head. “We were having a good time and I ruined it. Then I-I-” Her brows furrow together. “Whatever the fuck this is, and I just realized that in that future, I was trying so hard to save everyone, and it…” She pauses. “I got you killed.” 

 

“Lilly stop. Please just, take a breath for me.” Dean starts to rub her back, hoping to calm her down so they could talk. 

 

Lilly nods and pauses to take a deep breath. “You really got the shit end of the stick huh?” She asks with a frown.

 

“No, I didn’t Lilly. I consider myself to be pretty damn lucky.” Dean presses his lips to her forehead. “As for the good time thing. We will have more good times. Lilly, babe, you needed to talk. I’m glad you’re talking to me. Cause yer right, I ain’t a mind reader. What I am is a hunter caught up in a shitty prophecy, watching the woman I love crumble under a weight she shouldn’t be making herself carry. Toss that shit down Lilly. We ain’t heading for that future. We’re going to work together. We’re going to figure this out together. Because we have to. We have to work this out together. We saw what happened when we didn’t. I ain’t risking that. We stick together, we think together. We stop that future together. Please, tell me you are listening to me and you understand.”

 

Lilly nods her head and lets out sigh. He wasn’t wrong. If she could help to stop that future from happening she would do her best. “I’m listening Dean, and I know. I’m sorry I- freaked the fuck out. I know it’s not helpful.” She frowns disappointed with herself. “I do want to find that ritual though.”

 

“The one that bound you to Sam?”

 

“That one too, I guess. I do think it would have worked. And it’s a good backup.” Lilly nods.

 

“As long as it’s only a back up. I don’t mind having a list of plans a mile long. I’d prefer it actually.”

 

“I can do lists.” Lilly offers with a half smile.

 

Dean smiles back at her and nuzzles his face against her hair. “You are the best at lists. So there you go. Job one on this family hunt. You think of anything or hear anything that the others are thinking, you write it down so we can explore the idea.”

 

Lilly nods as she bites her lip. She’d been planning on doing that anyways. “But that wasn’t the ritual I was talking about.”

 

“What ritual are you talking about?” Dean asks before he tilts his head to the side. “The one that makes you barren?”

 

Lilly nods. “I haven’t found one yet. It’s hard to find one an angel wouldn’t be able to reverse.” She bites her lip. “And I’m using the word  _ ritual  _ lightly. I know I used a spell or something in the future...But they killed Regina, and when they brought in Bobby I broke it.” 

 

Dean shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter what it is. If you feel like you need to do this, then do it.”

 

Lilly looks up to him in surprise. “If we manage this. If you ever feel like having kids-” She takes a deep breath before she lets out slowly. “I won’t blame you if you wanna leave.”

 

“I’m not going anywhere Lilly, stop trying to toss me away.” Dean teases lightly before he continues in a more serious tone. “I never imagined I would get to have this kind of conversation with someone. So I’m afraid I’m going to just have to rough this with you.” He frowns before he can continue. “I do have some questions, but you don’t have to answer them if you don’t want to.”

 

“I don’t mind answering them Dean.” Lilly frowns.

 

“Okay. Do you want to know how I feel? Or at least how I think I feel?” Dean asks. He felt confused and unprepared for this, but he owed her an attempt. She was willing to do whatever it took to avoid certain parts of the future they’d seen, and he couldn’t blame her. But he wanted to give her an out before he became completely vulnerable with her over a topic he’d never seen coming.

 

Lilly nods as she looks up at him curiously.

 

“I love you. I love you so fucking much Lilly. I really hope you know that. If you chose to do this,” Dean looks her in the eyes, holding her gaze for a moment, “And this is entirely your choice by the way. This is your body, and I’m not going to try to tell you what to do. But, I want you to know, if you decide to do this, then  _ we _ are deciding together that we don’t ever want biological children. We will, if I understand what you’re saying, never be able to have children.” He pauses, waiting to see if he’d understood her.

 

Lilly nods slowly. “Yes. There aren’t many rituals that prevent birth to the level we need it. There are preventatives, like medicinal birth control that both Mae and I take, but it’s gonna take more than that to stop an angel… I’ve given up on looking at rituals and looked into more…” She pauses, he wanted honestly. He deserved it, it was the least she could do.  “I’m looking into curses at this point.”

 

Dean’s eyes widen, but he slowly nods. “I’ll admit, that thought scares me Lilly. But again, your body. I’ll be honest with you if you’ll just keep me in the research loop.”

 

Lilly nods. “That’s completely fair. I can do that.”

 

Dean nods and kisses her forehead. “You know what though… I’ve never thought about the possibility of kids for me. I never thought I’d make it past thirty. But, I don’t know. If we survive the apocalypse, I kinda like the idea of one day seeing little me’s and you’s. Or even just minis that aren’t ours biologically. I’m good with that too.” He smiles at the thought.    

 

Lilly looks up at Dean and studies him for a moment. “I’m not sure I want them.” She admits with a frown.

 

Dean nods. “That’s okay. I know you don’t think you’d be a good mother. I disagree. I know you love kids. I know you spend a lot of time working with kids and you love playing with them. I use to ask how the kids at St. Mary’s were doing back when we were just talking on the phone because you would get so excited and I could just picture the smile on your face as you told me everything about what you’d done with them. I loved hearing those stories, kept me warm on many cold nights.”

 

Lilly looks down. “I never even thought I’d be able to date Dean. Let alone have what I have with you.” She admits with a sigh as she lays her head against his chest. “But I would be a liar if I hadn’t thought about it. I’m just not sure I could ever provide for children the way a mother’s supposed to. I’m not… I have a lot of… I’m going to use the word quirks. But I know it’s more than that. I know quirks don’t even begin to cover the expanse of how fucked up I am. I wouldn’t want to fuck up a kid like that.“ 

 

“I never thought I’d be able to either. And yet here we are. Having the ‘do you want kids’ discussion. Look at how mundane we’ve become.” Dean smiles at her before he shifts her in his lap. “But that’s the current you saying you’re not ready for kids. Hell, I ain’t either. I said someday.”

 

Lilly frowns. It was just another wonderful example of her life, because now that she was talking about it with Dean, now that she’d seen and felt a child that looked so much like them, it hurt her to think about. “I could go back to looking at rituals. They aren’t as foolproof… But in the off chance it’s not even needed… And we somehow make it through this…”

 

Dean smiles and nods before he sombers. “Look into both. When the times comes to choose, I want you to have options.”

 

“I thought you wanted us to have options?” Lilly asks with a frown.

 

Dean shakes his head. “I told you how I felt. The choice comes down to you. I will stand by you no matter what you decide to do. I’ll give you my opinion. But this.” Dean gently shakes her in his arms. “This is your body and I will not tell you what to do. You won’t be alone when you make it, we’ll talk about it. I would just prefer you have all the options you can when you have to make that choice.”

 

Lilly thinks quietly for a moment before she nods. She knew they were supposed to be honest right now, but now that she knew he wanted kids now too, she had no interest in looking further into a permanent solution. Was that selfish? What if she got caught? What if they couldn’t prevent her from getting nabbed by Michael, and she ended up… Not Dean’s children? She knew now he was open to adoption, but there was a large difference in raising a nephilim, assuming maybe this time she got away, and a human. She shifts in discomfort. There were too many what if’s going on, and she knew from past experiences that could lead to her being an idiot. 

 

Dean knocks gently on her forehead. “What going on in there?”

 

Lilly looks up and frowns. “Sorry, was just-” She sighs. “I don’t want it to be permanent anymore… I know that’s probably selfish-”

 

“No babe, that’s not selfish. There are no selfish choices on the table here. This is solely about what you’re comfortable with, and what you want.” Dean quickly corrects her.

 

“But say I get taken, but you and Sam manage a way to still stop the end but it’s too late and I’ve been inseminated like the animal I apparently am in this stupid prophecy…” Lilly swallows as she finds herself unable to continue. 

 

Dean shakes his head. “We’ll talk about it and figure it out. Together.” He assures her.

 

Lilly nods before she lays her head back against his shoulders. “Were there more questions?” She asks softly. “I know earlier you were asking about blood magic, and I wasn’t able to answer you properly, for well... Reasons.”

 

Dean quirks his eyebrows at her and smiles. “Yes… reasons…”

 

Lilly thumps her hand against his chest, and gives him a weak glare. “I don’t question you mid way through a blow job.”

 

“Hey now. If you’re looking for that distraction, I am only to happy to pick it back up. No questions this time, just pure bliss for ya. Since you’ve had to put up with my shit an’ all.” Dean promises with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

 

“I don’t think it was me who was having to put up with shit tonight.” Lilly says with a small frown. 

 

“That was the second time I had gotten you all riled up and then we had to stop. Oh no, I’m not letting that happen a third time.” With a predatory growl he surges forward and pins her to the bed under him.

 

Lilly can’t help the smile that tugs on her lips at his sudden actions as she looks up at him. “Well if you’re offering, but I’m gonna say third strike and you’re out.” She teases him. “And I’mma be the top-” 

 

With a grin Dean grabs the hem of her skirt and disappears under it. “Kinky.” He chuckles before he grabs her by the hips and dives between her thighs. 

 

Lilly can’t help the moan that escapes her lips as she grabs the blankets as he goes straight for her clit. Her hips thrusting upwards to meet his hot mouth. “Fuck!” She pants.

 

“I’ve got a few ideas if you really wanna ride something.” Dean offers, his breath tickling her thigh before he continues to devour her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers!
> 
> How are you guys liking our chapters? Do we give you enough Fluff and Stuff? Are we able to convey the story and character development well, even when we don't necessarily have a lot of plot driven action? Let us know what you think, we always look forward to hearing from you. :) 
> 
> -Dark and Twisted


	30. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilly and Dean prepare to summon Crowley, the cross roads demon that has the colt, but first... Breakfast. Settle in for a fun filled, unexpected party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope you enjoy the fun filled chaos that is the kitchen at Mystic.

69

 

Mae walks into the kitchen the next morning with her mother’s green journal hugged to her chest. 

 

“Sup Harps?” Lilly asks as she turns to greet Mae, from the range. “How ya feelin?” 

 

Mae smiles. “Morning Lilly. Much better actually. I guess I reached my sleep quota though.” She grins as she set the journal down on the table before she skips over to stand near Lilly.  

 

Lilly smiles. “That’s good. I just started on breakfast.” She informs her as she turns back to the stove. “Oh, and before I forget. Jody wants a call.” 

 

“Ah. Because Devon scared the hell outta her?” Mae scrunches her nose. “Well, more like I scared the hell outta her.”

 

Lilly nods with a small yawn. “Yep.” 

 

“Call now?”

 

Lilly looks over at the clock. “Nah, you can probably put it off for later.” She shrugs. “She was on third shift.” She yawns as she starts on the eggs.

 

Mae grins and pulls herself up onto the counter close enough to Lilly so they can talk, but out of her way while she moves about working on breakfast. “You tired?”

 

“A bit. It was a night.” Lilly says with a lazy smile. “But there’s still a ton of shit to do. I’ll sleep once we’re outta Mystic.”

 

Mae nods as she begins to tap a rhythm with her hands on the counter next to her thighs. “I heard about the future thing you and Dean went through. I’m sorry he got you while we were out when we shouldn’t have been.”

 

Lilly turns to look at Mae over her shoulder. “It’s cool, at least now we know what not to do right?”

 

“I guess. Sam didn’t really go into too much detail, other than the fact that you were dead, Dean died, Sam said yes and I was the first to get caught. Oh, and there was a weird plan that you and Sam had.”

 

“Oh.” Lilly sighs. That sonovabitch. She frowns. “Well to make a long story short, but more detailed. Dean was fucking crazy, Castiel was a stoner. You were pretty damn Grimm with a dash of lifetime original. Lucifer was a stickler for rules, but a giant dick. Sam was pretty much the fuckin’ same when he came too. And Bobby was just Bobby.”

 

“How much of that channel do you watch?” Mae asks, slowly shaking her head to give herself a few extra seconds to process. “But now that I think about it, that explains why Cass wanted to see Crush on Finding Nemo.”

 

“Yeah, I gave you all nick names… Except Bobby.” Lilly nods as she moves from the eggs to lay out bacon and sausage on trays.

 

“And it was five years in the future?” Mae frowns.

 

“Yep.” Lilly nods. “It was a fucking mess. Though on a note that I feel like you will find equally humorously morbid with me, Japan was like a real life anime.”

 

Mae tilts her head to the side. “Gundam Wing or Highschool of the Dead?”

 

“A mix a both. Not quite so big robot, as much as droids with machine guns, and instead of zombies there were croats.” Lilly shrugs. 

 

“What’s a croat?”

 

“Remember the Croatoan virus the guys told us about?” Lilly asks as she slides the pans into the oven.

 

“Oh… Oohhh.” Mae grimaces. That had been nasty.

 

“Yeah.” Lilly nods. “Oohhh. Is pretty damn accurate.” 

 

Mae takes a deep breath. “Is there anything I need to know? Like anything I need to avoid?” She closes her eyes, “ Like how was I caught?”

 

“Stay the fuck away from Satan?” Lilly frowns. “And we’re gonna be traveling with the guys so the rest is pretty much a moot point. They set Mystic on fire to get to you.”

 

Mae’s eyes widen in horror.

 

“No worries it was still standing.” Lilly sighs as she starts seasoning the eggs. “Oh. You were badass as fuck. Like Poison Ivy status with the vines. You almost killed me and Crush.”

 

Mae frowns. “I tried to kill you?”

 

“Again, grimm slash lifetime original. Lucifer apparently loved playing mind games with you.” Lilly sighs as she moves to gather the ingredients for biscuits.

 

“Oh.” Mae leans back against the overhead cabinets. “So I learned how to use my abilities?”

 

“Yeah.” Lilly nods as she moves to stand next to Mae, and begins working on the 

biscuits.

 

Mae frowns as she watches Lilly roll out the dough, the familiar series of motions nearly hypnotic,  “Speaking of my abilities though…” She smiles as he eyes dart over to the journal on the table. “Remember when you told me I found something in the house once during those Tuesdays?”

 

Lilly looks up at Mae and smiles. “Did you find it?” She asks.

 

Mae nods. “Mom left me a journal.”

 

Lilly beams at her. “That’s awesome Mae. I’m glad. Maybe you’ll find some of the answers you’ve been looking for.”

 

“I hope so.” Mae gives her a small smile before she zones out watching Lilly mix dough.

 

“Wanna drop em on the pan for me?” Lilly asks.

 

Mae smiles and hops down off the counter to go wash her hands.

 

“Oh and just warning you, unless you want a lecture… I would give Thoth a heads up you found something fae related. He’s been foaming at the mouth over that stuff.” Lilly chuckles as she watches Mae flit around the kitchen like her old self.

 

“Right. I got a little distracted last night.” Mae grins as she scrubs her hands under the hot water.

 

“Oh yeah?” Lilly asks with a raised eyebrow. “You and Sammy get it on?” She asks.

 

Mae turns to Lilly with a huge silly grin on her face. “I didn’t panic at all.”

 

Lilly smiles at the irony. “That’s awesome Harps. That’s a big step for you. Congratulations, I know this dry spell has been killing you.”

 

Mae kisses Lilly on the cheek as she skips past her to work on the biscuits. “It really has.”

 

Lilly chuckles. “Well I’m glad you found your bounce.” She smiles at her sister. “You’re such a little nymph.” She shakes her head, as she moves the eggs in the pan. “I’m happy to see you like this, it’s been a hot fuckin’ minute.”

 

“Yeah. It’s felt like a hot fudge minute too.” Mae giggles as she starts playing with the dough.

 

Lilly shakes her head. “Want anything special for breakfast then? To commemorate this splendid occasion of you and Sammy finally bumpin’ uglies again?” 

 

Mae chuckles at the description. “You up for making your french toast?”

 

Lilly nods. “Absolutely.” She chirps. “You and your sugar sponge.”  

 

“I was gonna ask for crepes, but those look so much harder to make.” Mae sticks her tongue out as she starts placing the balls of dough on the baking sheet.

 

“I can make crepes.” Lilly shrugs as she starts gathering the ingredients for crepes. “What filling?”

 

“I can go pick straw-”

 

“You can wait for someone to go with you.” Lilly immediately interrupts her. “Who obviously isn’t me.”

 

“Oh yeah.” Mae looks back to the dough sheepishly. “Whoops.”

 

“No worries. The crepes are going to take a minute anyways. Oh, actually Castiel might still be roaming around here. I’m not sure he ever left last night… And I wanted to talk to you about that.” Lilly sighs as she moves the eggs off the burner so she can focus on the crepes.

 

“Talk about what?” 

 

“Well,  _ when _ we get back to Mystic. Wanna make him an angel nest or something?” Lilly asks as she begins mixing the dough for the crepes. “He’s always here anyways…”

 

Mae spins on her toes in excitement as she dances over to Lilly with dough still stuck to her fingers. “Yes! That sounds like fun, and he could come over whenever he wanted to and be a real part of the family.”

 

Lilly chuckles. “I’m thinking sky blue and a shit ton of feather pillows. You can go crazy on the walls.”

 

“Oh, yes, please yes. I would love to do that. What room do you think we should use?”

 

“It’s your house.” Lilly shakes her head. “And since you asked… I was thinkin’ maybe Rivers? I noticed the door open last night. So...I cleaned it. Sorry.”

 

Mae shrugs. “No need to apologize. I’ve needed to face that for a long time, it was overdue.” 

 

Lilly turns to her with a smile. “Look at you making large strides this week.” 

 

“Maat has been really great. She suggested that I look around for things I wanted to start working on and then just face them.” Mae explains with a small smile.

 

“I’m glad she’s been able to help.” Lilly smiles. “I’m proud of you. It sounds like you’ve really been working on yourself.” She adds. She was glad one of them was.

 

“Thanks Lilly.” Mae gives her an impulsive hug; squeezing her tightly for a long moment before she lets her go.

 

Lilly shakes her head. “You’re the one doing the work.”

 

“Yeah, but you’re the one that got me going. So really, thank you. I know I haven’t been- you know, very me lately.”

 

Lilly shifts in discomfort. “You’ve been fine Harps, don’t beat yourself over it. You went through a lot of shit. It’s cool.”

 

Mae tilts her head to the side. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, just tired and a lot on my mind. Sorry.” Lilly smiles at her. 

 

“Anything I can help with?” Mae asks as she skips back over to finish the biscuits.

 

Lilly thinks about that before she settles on shaking her head. “Nah. You just focus on you for now.” 

 

Mae frowns. “But you’ll let me know if I can help?”

 

“I will let you know.” Lilly nods as she turns her attention back to the crepes.

 

“M’kay.” Mae turns back to the dough. Before she can forget she closes her eyes and sends a prayer to Thoth, letting him know she’d found a journal from her mother.

 

“A journal?” Thoth asks before she can even finish her prayer. “About your heritage.”

 

“That. Was. Fast.” Mae giggles as she plops the last ball on the tray. “Done Lilly.” She sings as she moves off to wash her hands before she touches the journal again.

 

“Foaming.” Lilly hums as she spins to pick up the tray.

 

Thoth turns and gives Lilly a glare. “I am not foaming. I am merely curious.”

 

Mae smiles and dries her hands. “It’s the green book.” She tells him to put him out of his misery.

 

Thoth nods as he scans the kitchen for the book. “And I’m assuming I can make a copy since I’m here.” He states as he walks over to the book and puts his hand on it. 

 

“Yes, I’m not dumb enough to call you here just to tease you.” Mae giggles again as she skips over to stand near him.

 

“Someone gets it.” Thoth smiles at her, as he shoots a look at Lilly.

 

“What’d I even do this time?” Lilly asks with a pout.

 

“I don’t know Lilly, what did you do this time?” Thoth asks as he plucks a replica of the green journal out of the air. “I’m a bit confused why you're even up right now.” He adds as he shoots her a pointed look.

 

Mae looks from Thoth to Lilly and back with a small frown. 

 

“Making crepes. I’ll make sure you and Maat get some.” Lilly responds as she drops her eyes back to the batter in front of her. 

 

“Speaking of crepes, I’m gonna go ask Cass if he’s up for a walk outside.” Mae nods as she starts to head out of the kitchen. 

 

Lilly sighs. “Tell him he’s eating if he’s still here when the foods done.” She calls out after Mae.

 

“I do not have to eat Lilly. I don’t know how many times I must repeat that.” Castiel sighs as he walks into the kitchen.

 

“But crepes are so good.” Mae pouts to Castiel as she almost walks into him.

 

“The angel is correct. You can give us the crepes Mae doesn’t eat.”

 

Castiel looks to Thoth and then at Mae. “I want to try them now.” He frowns.

 

“Want to come with me to get fruit?” Mae asks with a smile.

 

Castiel nods. “It is why I left the movie about the flying rug and the monkey.”

 

Mae narrows her eyes in thought for a moment. “You’re watching Aladdin?”

 

Castiel nods. “Though I enjoy the rug more than the liar and the princess. It does not speak, but it has a very distinct personality.”

 

Mae chuckles as she takes Castiel by the arm. “You don’t like the Genie?”

 

“I do not understand most of his references.” Castiel frowns.

 

“Oh… Yeah, Genie is very pop culture oriented.” Mae agrees. “But come on, let’s go outside.” She tugs at Castiel’s sleeve. 

 

Castiel shakes his head as he follows Mae out the door with a small smile on his lips.

 

“She’s very excitable today.” Thoth comments after the door closes behind the two.

 

“She found her mom’s journal.” Lilly shrugs. “And she’s going in her garden.” She adds not looking up from the batter.

 

“Hmmm.” Thoth looks down at the journal in his hands. “There is a lot of information in here.”

 

“Are you leaving her with the original, or the copy?” Lilly asks.

 

“I am not a monster.” Thoth shakes his head as he looks down at her before he quickly goes back to reading.

 

Lilly can’t help her smile, as she begins humming. Crepes were more work than french toast, but she wasn’t sure if Dean had ever had them, and Mae had specifically requested them. So it was worth it. She didn’t mind the distraction either. “Me and Dean are summoning Crowley later.” She says as she finishes with the dough.

 

Thoth lifts an eyebrow at her over the book. “You will let me know if you need help with that.” It wasn’t a question.

 

Lilly nods. “I will do that.” 

 

“Good.” Thoth smiles as he takes a seat at the table and continues to read.

 

Lilly shakes her head as she preps the pan for the crepes and starts humming again. The two of them focus on their own projects as the room falls in a comfortable silence, short of Lilly’s humming, the occasional turning of a page, and the sizzling of the crepes as they cooked in the pan. 

 

“Damn, something smells great!” Dean exclaims as he walks into the kitchen. 

 

Lilly smiles as she carefully flips the crepe with her fingers carefully. “Mornin’ Tex.”

 

“Morning Hufflepuff. Morning Thoth.” Dean greets as he walks over to kiss Lilly’s neck before he leaves her to her delicate looking work.

 

“Dean.” Thoth acknowledges, without looking up from the book.

 

“What’s he reading?” Dean asks as he grabs the juice carafe from the fridge.

 

“Mae’s mother’s journal.” Lilly responds. “It’s very fae-full.”

 

Dean’s brow furrows. “Where did she… Oh… Well it explains the room being opened.”

 

“It also explains the footprints.” Lilly smiles as she pulls the current crepe out of the pan and starts on the next one, carefully spreading the batter with a chopstick. “Mae and Castiel are out grabbing strawberries, and Sammy’s still sleepin’ I guess.”

 

Dean nods as he moves over to look out the window into the back yard. “Are we sure her being outside is okay? Cass isn’t really at full strength yet is he?”

 

“It’s a three acre jump at most, and he was a shadow before this shit went down. They’ll be fine. Besides if I feel another angel coming, I can always give him a heads up.” Lilly assures him. 

 

“Right. Sorry, guess I might be overprotective for awhile.” Dean frowns as he backs away from the window.

 

“And that’s new and something you apologize for since when?” Lilly asks as she checks on the crepe.

 

“Oh haha.” Dean rolls his eyes.

 

“Not hearing denial.” Lilly sing songs.

 

Dean walks up behind Lilly and growls subtly under his breath next to her ear. “Someone is real freaking brave with her god in the room.”

 

Lilly can’t help her shiver. “Behave.” She scolds him. “Or no crepe for you, and they’re like the pie of breakfast.”

 

“You behave.” Dean glares at her before he moves away, not daring to test her on not getting a crepe. They smelled amazing, and after her description his mouth was watering.

 

“Me?” Lilly blinks innocently. “I’ve no idea what you're talkin’ bout Cowboy. I was jus’ bein’ honest.” She adds with a taunting smile as she moves the latest crepe off the pan, as she resumes her humming.

 

“Uh huh.” Dean continues to glare, but moves away to start making coffee. It was something safe he could do with his hands. She was a brave little brat today.

 

Sam walks out of the pantry with a yawn. “Morning.” He greets after stopping to take in the room.

 

“Mornin’” Dean grumbles.

 

“Morning Sammy!” Lilly chirps happily, amused by Dean’s pouting.  She was curious how much she could push before he snapped.

 

“Sam.” Thoth greets lazily, as he turns a page.

 

Sam narrows his eyes as he looks from Lilly to Dean and back. That seemed like a situation he didn’t want to get in the middle of until he could figure out what game they were up to. He turns to look at Thoth, shocked when he finds him reading Mae’s journal. “I’m glad you found out about that book.” Sam comments as he moves away from the bigs towards a safer topic.

 

Thoth looks over the top of the book with a quirked eyebrow as he stares at the younger Winchester with curiosity. 

 

“Do you like crepes Sam? I’m trying to figure out if I should make two batches.”

 

“Yes. You should.” Thoth responds as he turns back to the book.

 

Sam shakes his head and smiles up at Lilly. “I like ‘em too. Mae’s gonna be excited, where is she?”

 

Lilly nods. “She requested them, and she’s out gathering strawberries with Cass.” 

 

Sam mimics Dean as he edges to the window to look out into the back yard with a frown.

 

Lilly can’t help her giggle of amusement at the mirrored action. “She’s fine Sammy. Cas isn’t gonna let anything happen to her.”

 

“I know.” Sam assures her before he firmly turns his back on the window.

 

Lilly lifts her brow, “You’re both so bad at that.” She chuckles lightly as she shakes her head. 

 

“I- I’m just worried. I mean-”

 

“Cass isn’t up to full strength.” Lilly finishes for him with an amused look.

 

Sam frowns as his eyes bounce up to Dean.

 

“She thinks she’s being cute.” Dean glares at Lilly.

 

Thoth smirks without looking up from the journal, “Adorable.”

 

“Thank you.” Lilly chirps, as she pours more batter into the pan. 

 

“You’re making crepes, you’re anything you want to be right now.” Thoth nods.

 

“For a god of wisdom and knowledge, you sure have a thing for food.” Sam shakes his head.

 

Thoth looks up over his book with a look of disbelief at the brothers. “Priestess prepared food with fae grown produce.” He points out. “That is a rare combination.”

 

Lilly smiles at Thoth before she begins on the second batch of batter.  

 

Sam frowns in consideration. If fae were so rare that no hunter had ever heard of them, and Mae specifically was a fae that excelled with plants... Yeah, it made sense. Her fruits and vegetables were by far the best he’d ever had. He looks between Lilly and Thoth and sighs. The god was being surprisingly amicable this morning… And he was sure to give a better response than Lilly. She had a knack for answering questions without actually telling him anything. “So, Thoth, what exactly is the difference between a priestess and a witch exactly?” 

 

Dean looks over at Sam with a raised eyebrow, before he turns to the god. He had also wondered the difference, but wasn’t sure he actually wanted to know. However now that it had been asked, he was curious.

 

Thoth glances up at Sam’s question before he sighs dramatically and puts the book down. He props his chin on his fisted hand as he leans over the table. “What kind of answer are you looking for here Sam, the long indepth answer or a simple one?”

 

Sam shrugs. “An answer. We’ve never run into a priest, with the obvious exception being the ones of christian belief, but for this example let's just leave them out. So no priests or priestess that we know of. The closest would have been the bitch with Samhain… Or a town that worshipped a Scarecrow god, Vanir or something and left sacrifices.”

 

Thoth shakes his head. “In the case of Samhain, he’s a demon. That was a witch. As for the town following the Vanir, that’s exactly what they were, followers. If they were simply leaving offerings then they did not have an active priest or priestess. Most gods have abandoned the ideals of imbuing chosen followers with abilities.” 

 

“So, wait.” Dean interrupts. “Does that mean Maat gave Lilly her abilities?” 

 

Thoth leans back in his seat and rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Well, here is where we get into more in depth detail. Ahmes is a priestess of Maat. Ahmes was cursed and left without access to an afterlife. Her ka-” He pauses before he corrects himself. “Her soul, has been infused with Lilly’s soul. Lilly, while not originally a priestess, was taught by the priestess that resided in her, and had access to the abilities through Ahmes. It was lucky that Lilly was born with the ability to become a priestess, or she would not have survived the accident that bound them together. Once we found Lilly we began to train her to control her abilities and expand them. However as you all must know, she was lost to us when Ahmes activated the Obscura. The incident sent Ahmes into a... Hibernation of sorts, and left Lilly with amnesia. All rituals and spells used by the mortals chosen by the gods come with a price. Ahmes sacrificed her strength, and Lilly whether knowingly or not sacrificed her memories.” 

 

Sam frowns. He still wasn’t sure what the difference was. 

 

Dean shakes his head. “So a witch makes a deal with demons, sells their soul or whatever and Priestesses and Priests are born with the ability to become and then are chosen and given abilities?”

 

Thoth nods. “Simplistically, yes. Though not all who practice magic are witches, those are the mortals that seek power and summon demons to make a contract.” He sighs. “Then, there are some mortals with a natural affinity. Those would be the Sorcerers. The largest settlement being Atlantia, back before they wiped themselves out with in fighting.” He shrugs. “Then there are the mortals that teach themselves are most commonly known as mages. Singer for instance falls into that last category.” He looks between Dean and Sam. “You two as well are close to becoming mages.” He adds with a thoughtful look. “Though to be fair, those terms have all become interchangeable in this day and age.”

 

Lilly can’t wipe the shit eating grin from her face, as she pictured Sam and Dean’s unamused looks. She couldn’t help the change in the tone of her humming but she wisely kept silent, focussing on the finicky batter she was whipping up.

 

Sam nods with a small grimace. 

 

Dean frowns. “Huh. Never knew there were so many differences.”

 

Thoth shrugs. “I doubt it mattered to the two of you before meeting our odd one, or more correctly, her sister. Seeing as I’m assuming, please correct me if I’m wrong, if it had been Lilly alone you would have killed her due to Ahmes curse, if not her  _ wonderful _ defense mechanisms.”

 

Dean and Sam both glance over to Lilly before they let their eyes drop to the floor. Neither one of them could argue that. Dean himself had nearly killed her whenever they separated the girls. He wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t bring himself to lie. They probably would have killed her.

 

Lilly bounces back to the stove and starts on the next batch of crepes.

 

“It’s not your fault, as hunters it is your jobs to scourge the world of the creatures who would harm mortals.” Thoth can’t help his amused smile at the brother’s silence. “We weren’t thrilled when we found out she had made a consort out of one of the two infamous Winchesters and their equally formidable mentor. Though by that point it was too late to intervene by our laws.” He adds as he crosses his arms over his chest before he turns to study Lilly for a moment.   

 

“Consort?” Sam asks skeptically.

 

Dean lifts his brow, remembering Maat and Thoth both using that word in their past meetings. He’d just assumed it meant boyfriend or something.

 

Thoth looks over at Lilly with a raised eyebrow.

 

Lilly pauses. “It means boyfriend.” She frowns. 

 

Sam snorts. “That is not-”

 

“It means boyfriend!” Lilly snaps.

 

Dean looks between Lilly and Sam before he turns to Thoth. “What is she not telling me?”

 

“By our laws, which Lilly knows and followed to a ‘t’ before she met Maat and I.” Thoth explains with an amused smile. “By allowing you to move into her residence-”

 

“Technically we’re all married to Mae then!” Lilly interrupts squeakily with a glare at Thoth. 

 

Thoth covers his smile by lazily leaning against the table and resting his chin in his palm.

 

Dean brows furrow in confusion, as Sam bursts out laughing at Lilly’s embarrassment. 

 

“The deed to the house would say otherwise odd one.” Thoth points out smoothly, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. If she thought he hadn’t looked into that particular detail when they’d found her again, and found out what she had done she was sorely underestimating his desire to keep her safe. Maat had been a proverbial monster when he’d been forced to inform her of his failure, and when he had found out she had not only courted the Winchester but had invited him to live with her.  It amused him to no end that she was denying it so vehemently. 

 

“And we’re dropping this.” Lilly grumbles as she crosses her arms across her chest defiantly, her golden eyes flashing with fear.

 

“So, wait. I have one more question.” Sam smiles and immediately turns his back to Lilly. “So, by your laws, am I married to Mae and Dean married to Lilly?”

 

Thoth tilts his head slightly. “Neither you or Mae follow us, but in our eyes yes.”

 

Lilly groans as she turns back to the crepes, with a blush on her cheeks. If this is what they wanted to be stuck on so be it. She really didn’t want the reason she was on the deed to be pursued. She should have pushed more to get that rectified when Mae turned nineteen and had been declared a legal adult. That was a year and a half that they’d vowed never to speak about, and Thoth was about to bring it the fuck up nonchalantly.  _ Ass hole. _

 

“And we have been since we accepted their invitation?” Sam clarifies.

 

“Correct.” Thoth can’t help but to smirk at Lilly’s growing discomfort.

 

Dean leans against the counter with a lazy smile. He’d been a married man and didn’t even know it. Oh, that was going to be fun to tease Lilly about later. Fun and terrifying. She looked pissed. 

 

Sam frowns, deep in thought as he turns back to the window to watch for Mae and Castiel.

 

“I don’t think it counts.” Lily grumbles as she pulls a crepe off the pan and starts on the next one. Dean was going to be a dick about this. Sam too. And gods help her if Mae found out; the teasing would be relentless.

 

Thoth shrugs. “They asked, and as a god of wisdom it would be poor form not to inform them. And with them being legally dead, it’s the closest they would ever do so legally. It’s not my fault if you did it sneakily odd one.” He watches her for a second before he picks Mae’s journal up and continues to read. 

 

“They didn’t have a place to stay! And Mae felt bad! It wasn’t something I thought about when I agreed!” Lilly snaps angrily, as she carefully flips a crepe ignoring the hives she could feel spreading over her chest. 

 

Thoth raises an eyebrow at her over the top of the book. He’d gathered memories from Mae and Lilly enough to know that wasn’t exactly what happened; but he could spare her this small white lie. It wasn’t like Mae wouldn’t have eventually started begging Lilly to let the homeless hunters stay here. Lilly just realized that was where they were heading and dove in before she could talk herself out of it. He sighs. Girls were complicated.

 

Sam clears his throat. “They’re back. Does Mae know what few means?” He shakes his head as he walks to the back door to help carry the baskets in.

 

“They probably needed to be picked. It’s been awhile since she’s been able to go into her garden. She was always going to take advantage of being able to go out there.” Lilly sighs, jumping at the chance to change the subject as she pours the next crepe into the pan.

 

Sam opens the back door. “Here Mae, I got that.” He takes one basket from her and holds the door open as she and Castiel walk back in.

 

“I also wanted to grab other berries in case people weren’t feeling strawberries.” Mae smiles as she skips into the kitchen with a wide smile. “Good morning.” She adds as she leans up and kisses him.

 

“She would have continued to the fruit trees, but we ran out of baskets.” Castiel smiles as he easily sets his baskets down on the counter.

 

“I can come down every now and then to gather some of the fruit while you four are away.” Thoth offers lazily from behind the journal. “Maat enjoys cooking.”

 

Mae’s eyes brighten. “I’d be a lot happier knowing it was actually getting used. Thank you, if you really don’t mind.”

 

Thoth nods as he turns the page.

 

“Don’t let him fool you. He just wants more reasons to poke around your garden.” Lilly jumps in as she pours the last of the batter into the pan. “I arranged for the Wright house to come out, and Victoria is in charge of making sure they get what they need for the shop. The kids from Saint Mary’s will be coming out too, you got them into playing with dirt, and it’s a free field trip so don’t worry your pretty little head about the garden, Harps.” 

 

Thoth glares at Lilly over the book. “I won’t take much.”

 

“Oh no. You can have as much as you want Thoth.” Mae quickly assures him. “You and Maat have done so much for us, it’s really the least I can do.”

 

Dean shakes his head. “So want me to clean some of these?” He offers as he walks over to the baskets of fruit, before an argument could break out.

 

“Here. You work on washing the blueberries.” Mae hands Dean the basket she was still holding with a grin.

 

Dean nods as he takes the basket before he heads over to the sink. “So, like is there a specific way to do this? Or can I just rinse them?” He asks Lilly.

 

“Just be thorough.“ Lilly rolls her eyes a pout still on her lips, as she flips the last crepe. She quickly grabs a pan so she could cook some of the berries so they wouldn’t go bad. Besides as sweet as the berries normally were Mae still liked the strawberries cooked with sugar. “Sam if your not doin’ anything can you find the heavy cream? It should be in the back hiding behind everything.” She asks.

 

Sam nods as he walks over to the fridge to look for the cream. He smiles at the fact that she hid it from Mae.

 

Mae takes a basket of strawberries over to the prep station and starts cleaning them, when Castiel comes up behind her and asks to help. She happily shows him what she’s doing and instructs him how to clean them properly. 

 

Maat walks down the stairs quietly and looks around the room with a smile. “Can I help?” She asks curiously.

 

Lilly turns and looks to her goddess with a small look of confusion. Why had she come down? Was something wrong?

 

Sam stops as he puts down the cream. What the fuck? Was this house just a hub for the supernatural now? He shifts with discomfort.

 

Maat smiles at Lilly. “I was told my priestess was making crepes and we had an invitation to pick produce from Mae’s garden. It seemed like I was missing out on some fun, so I decided to come help, if I could. Since Thoth is being lazy.”

 

Thoth sits up straighter, his face affronted by Maat’s accusation. “I am merely doing my job dear. Everyone wants to know more about the fae,” He defends himself quickly as he taps the book in front of him, “I am helping.” 

 

Dean snorts. It was almost surreal watching Thoth and Maat interact like any other couple. Never in a fucking million years would he expected to be in a kitchen with so many supernatural creatures just making breakfast like everything was normal. It was fucking bizarre.  

 

Mae smiles over to Thoth. “And I am very grateful you are helping me. Maat, would you like to help us wash the berries? Lilly makes amazing fruit filling.”

 

Maat smiles. “I would love to.” She smiles as she gracefully walks over to where Mae and Castiel were standing, and easily picks up on cleaning the fruit. She softly answers Castiel's questions kindly whenever he gets confused at Mae’s explanations.

  
  


The room falls into a surprisingly comfortable and light conversation as everyone but Thoth, who was still consumed with reading the journal, works together to help Lilly with breakfast. Dean and Sam occasionally send each other confused glances as they both decided to just go with it. It wasn’t like they could do much to stop it at the moment even if they had wanted too, so Sam stands close to Mae, and Dean Lilly.  

 

When everything is finished, and the food laid out on the table Maat pulls the journal out of Thoth’s hand with a stern look as everyone begins to settle at the table.

 

“Thank you Lilly. You’re right, this was a much better idea than french toast.” Mae delightedly agrees.

 

“It was your celebratory breakfast.” Lilly shrugs as she sends her sister a teasing smile. 

 

Mae blushes and shakes her head to hide behind her hair.

 

“What are we celebrating?” Dean asks in confusion as he puts the crepe back down. Is that what this was? Was it her birthday or something? He knew it was coming up, but he didn’t think it was this early. 

 

Maat smiles as she glances between the two girls. “I think it’s wonderful to celebrate successes, especially in times of strife. Even if you don’t want to share the details.”

 

Sam lifts his eyebrow, a slight blush on his face. Had Lilly made Mae a celebratory breakfast because him and Mae had sex last night. That was awkward. He shifts in discomfort as he looked at Mae.  

 

“It was a rather amazing find. I am learning a lot about the abilities you have and will be able to help you focus better.” Thoth nods as takes a bite of his crepe.  “Your mother had an amusing sense of humor.”

 

“Oh, the journal.” Dean sighs in relief, grateful he hadn’t missed Mae’s birthday. 

 

“Yeah.” Lilly smiles with a shake of her head. “River was hilarious.” 

 

Mae smiles and nods. “She really was.” She looks over to Sam with the faint blush still visible across her nose. He’d figured out what this actually was, she could tell by his embarrassment. “She would have loved sitting with company like this, and I think she would have liked you two.” She reaches across and takes rests her hand on Sam’s.

 

Sam smiles at the thought. “I hope so.” 

 

“Really because from the journal, I’m getting the impression she would have been happier with you and Lilly getting together.” Thoth can’t help but tease as Maat turns and smacks him on the chest with a small glare. 

 

Mae sighs, she’d almost forgotten about that. “She did try to push that for awhile.” She grumbles awkwardly. 

 

“I don’t see it.” Castiel frowns as he tilts his head to the side as he looks between Mae and Lilly. “Neither of you know how to say no to the other. Isn’t that important?”

 

Mae and Lilly exchange looks before they burst out laughing. 

 

Maat gives the two giggling girls an unamused look, shaking her head before she looks over to Castiel. “That is one important part of a healthy relationship.”

 

Lilly averts her eyes at Maat’s look and instantly starts eating.

 

Mae quickly follows Lilly’s example. “Sorry Maat.” She apologized before she stabs a strawberry with whip cream on it and pops it in her mouth.

 

Dean chuckles. This was amusing, if not unsettling. He wasn’t sure he’d ever Lilly shut up so quickly. He shakes his head as he starts eating as well, content now that he knew he hadn’t forgotten his kid sister’s birthday. At the first bite though he curses with a giant smile on his lips. “This is awesome. Make this more.” He tells Lilly.

 

Castiel mimics Dean and takes a bite. His eyes widen in surprise. “You severely undersold the concept of crepes. Dean is correct.” 

 

Lilly looks up at Dean with a raised brow even as her eyes sparkle bright with amusement. “Earn it.” She teases him, even as she makes a mental note to make them more often. “They’re a pain to make.”

 

Dean pouts before he shrugs and goes back to eating.

 

“It will be difficult for Lilly to continue this level of culinary mastery while on the road.” Thoth states.

 

“Though we wouldn’t mind her utilizing our kitchen while the four of you are away from this one.” Maat offers smoothly with a gently smile.

 

Lilly’s face goes blank before she looks up at Maat and Thoth with a wide grin. Thoth just wanted her to keep cooking for him. “It would give me something to do while the guys hunt, and Mae has her lessons with you.” She looks to Dean. “I’d obviously bring food back for the three of you.” She adds as she looks to the other men, but namely Dean.

 

Maat smiles before she turns to the two hunters and the angel. “Of course it is up to you if that is an arrangement you are willing to allow continue.”

 

Dean and Sam share a look before they let out identical exasperated sighs. They had been sidelined into this. 

 

“As long as there’s pie.” Dean eventually sighs. What the hell was he going to do about it if the gods wanted to take them anyways? It was easier to just go along with it. “But I wanna know when you're leaving and when you’ll be back. No more of this just disappearing for days shit.” He grumbles as he shoots Lilly a look.  _ Had she planned this? _

 

“And I would also like to continue to get notice.” Castiel states as he looks at the gods.

 

“If that’s what Mae wants.” Sam nods his own reluctant agreement. Dean had already summed up what he was going to request. 

 

Both girls beam. 

 

“Of course.” Thoth states as he looks to Castiel. “I expect our arrangement to continue.” 

 

Castiel nods solemnly. “I agree.”

 

“Then it’s settled. I will personally make sure the both of you are informed when they are to be taken and returned.” Maat smiles brightly at Dean and Sam, as she takes another graceful bite of her crepe. “These are delicious Lilly.” 

 

Mae gently nods her head in amusement as she takes another bite. Sam and Dean were worried, and not happy.But, it was kind of sweet that they weren’t fighting it. To be safe though. “So, Dean. What time are we heading out today?”

 

Dean looks at Mae and frowns. “Me and Lilly have to go and get the colt first.”

 

“We know where the colt is?” Mae asks in surprise, scrambling to pick her dropped blueberry off her lap before it got on the floor.

 

“Did no one read those books in full?” Lilly asks with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Wait, why Lilly?” Sam asks as he turns and glares at Dean.

 

“Because you and Mae are wanted by demons. I ain’t riskin’ that.” Dean frowns. He didn’t even want Lilly to fucking go. But she was the one who already knew how to summon the prick.

 

“But I thought you wanted us to stick together Dean.” Sam argues.

 

“You’ll be here with Cass.” Dean shrugs. 

 

“Why am I not going?” Castiel asks with a glare.

 

“Cause you’re watching the little’s.” Dean sighs. 

 

“What do you and Lilly have to do?” Mae asks Dean before she turns to Lilly. “And really, it was in the books?”

 

“Summon Crowley.” Lilly sighs. “And yeah it was.” She nods.

 

“You have to summon Crowley? Again?” Mae drops her eyes to her plate. Lilly hated everything about the one time she had summoned that demon. It felt cruel to ask her to do it again.

 

Lilly shrugs as she schools her face to cool indifference. “He’s the one with the colt, and in order to get a leg up, it’s necessary. We can’t have that future. This is the quickest way to change it.”

 

Mae nods slowly. The future must have been really, really bad if Lilly was willing to risk a summoning again.

 

Sam frowns as he glares at Dean. “You can’t just expect me to sit this out Dean.”

 

“But he can expect me to sit it out?” Mae frowns as she looks up at Sam with a pout.

 

“Yes.” Everyone at the table responds, including the gods.

 

Mae frowns. “I’ve been trained. Lilly hasn’t, and she hates doing that ritual, last time it summoned more than just the one demon.”

 

“But she’s been trained in rituals now.” Thoth shrugs. “And she’ll have Dean. I’m sure Castiel will go to their aid if necessary. And she knows better than not to pray for my help if something goes amiss.” He turns to Lilly. “Right Lilly.” He doesn’t ask as he pins her with a glare.

 

“Right.” Lilly breathes out.

 

Maat reaches across the table and pats Mae’s hand. “Think of it as one more day to relax and spend time together before the four of you start spending all your time together.”

 

Mae lets out a resigned sigh. She doubted that was going to change Sam’s mind, but she didn’t mind getting more alone time before they left Mystic for gods only knew how long. She gives Maat a small smile before she turns to look up at Sam. He was not even paying attention. He was still glaring at Dean like his brother had ordered him to shoot a puppy. 

 

“If it helps, I still need herbs so I can make more medicine. It gives you another excuse to go out in the garden.” Lilly sighs.

 

“Great. Mae and Cass can go play in the garden while the three of us go summon Crowley.”

 

Dean shakes his head. “No way man. You’re sittin’ this one out.” He frowns as he gives Sam a pointed look. He really didn’t want to point out his reasons in front of everyone at the table, but if he kept pushing he would. He still wasn’t sure how Sam was dealing with his blood addiction, and their fight with War had been an ugly reminder of how Sam got near demons. He wasn’t risking that shit again.

 

Mae glances between the two men in concern before she gently places a hand on Sam’s upper arm. “Sam. Please don’t fight with Dean on this. We’ll finish getting things ready here and...” She gives him a small smile. “We’ll be here when they get back.”

 

Sam turns away from Dean to look down at Mae for a moment. “Alright. Fine. We’ll get the herbs and finish up stuff around the house.” He sighs in defeat. He was going to talk to Dean more in private about this later though. He was not getting benched because of one fuck up. He was needed in the field.

 

Mae leans her head against his shoulder and wraps one arm around his. She hated when the two of them started fighting. It was always bad. They got so angry.

 

Thoth and Maat share a look before they stand. “Thank you for breakfast Lilly.” Maat smiles as she waves her hand, instantly cleaning and clearing away their space, “But Thoth really wants to finish reading his journal, and I have work I must attend too. We will talk to you later. Thank you all for allowing us to break our fasts together, it was lovely.” She smiles politely at the rest of the table before the two gods disappear.

 

Castiel finishes up his plate and stands, walking over to the sink to wash his plate. “You were right Lilly. I very much enjoyed crepes. Though I feel the need to remind you once again that I do not require food. If you all will excuse me, I would really like to find out what happens to the flying rug and monkey. I will be in the game room if needed.”

 

Lilly shakes her head, only the Winchester’s could make Celestials disappear with their insane infighting. “Mae, come on. I want to go over the list of the herbs we’ll need for the medicine.”

 

Mae nods sadly before she releases Sam and stands with her plate. 

 

“Leave it, I’ll get to that later.” Lilly smiles as she walks over and threads her arm through Mae’s. “I’ll show you where I put those books in the library as well, my bad. I thought you knew where they were.” She smiles sheepishly.

 

Mae puts her plate back on the table and gives Sam and Dean one last look before she let’s Lilly drag her away.

 

Dean shakes his head. “We really know how to clear a room.” He snorts as he looks over at Sam.

 

Sam shakes his head. “You really would rather have Lilly that close to something so dangerous instead of trusting me?”

 

Dean frowns, “You know it ain’t like that Sam.” He shakes his head. “But we don’t know what’s going on with you. After War-” 

 

“That’s not- Dean... We don’t even know what that was. It was probably something stupid that War did.” Sam slams his fist against the table, making the plates rattle. “I haven’t wanted it before that or since.”

 

“We don’t know shit about the damn king of the Cross roads Sammy. I can’t have you goin’ darkside with that shit. We can’t afford it right now. We need the colt if we wanna stop this shit.” Dean sighs, shaking his head as he leans back and crosses his arms over his chest and watches Sam.

 

“Don’t you think I know that? I might not have been there in the future with you Dean, but I can tell, even with all the information you and Lilly are holding back, that it was fucked up.” Sam shakes his head and crosses his arms in front of his chest, unconsciously mimicking his brother.

 

Dean shakes his head again. “I ain’t holding important information from ya Sammy. And look, I know it’s frustrating, but I need you to sit this one out.”

 

“Bull shit you aren’t.” Sam snaps. “I ain’t a kid Dean, I can handle it, just like I can handle a summoning.”

 

“Dammit Sam. Lucifer was fucking in you, okay. Just sit this one out. It’s not just about War making you think about demon blood again, it’s for me. I had to see that shit. I had to watch you kill me.” Dean shakes his head, trying to clear the image from his mind again. “Just, let me get some time and distance on that shit.”

 

Sam frowns as he watches Dean closely and lets out a sigh. “This better not slide into something bigger Dean. I need to be out there helping you, and Lilly don’t know this shit like I do.” He wasn’t going to sit back and let himself be replaced by Lilly, she was going to get Dean killed. “She doesn’t even listen to you.” He adds with a glare. 

 

“She’s just doing the summoning. I’m handling the rest.” Dean frowns as he brings one hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “And it ain’t gonna turn into nothing. You know I need you out there with me. I really do. I can’t do this alone.”

 

Sam narrows his eyes slightly as he studies Dean for a moment before he leans back with a resigned sigh. That better be all it was. “Fine. I’ll sit this one out. But I expect to be back in the game when we take off.”

 

Dean rolls his eyes. “Sammy, I think all of us are gonna be in this game weather we like it or not. We’re gonna have to wrap our heads around the fact that the girls aren’t going to idly sit in the hotel room while we hunt.”

 

Sam frowns, but nods, “Mae’s trained. She listens and she knows how to hunt. It’s Lilly I’m worried about.”

 

“I get it Sam. I’ve gotta figure things out with Lilly. She doesn’t even want to be a hunter.” Dean sighs in frustration. 

 

Sam scoffs at that. “She’s in for a rough time then if she doesn’t fall in line. We can’t have her putting us at risk while we’re on hunts.”

 

Dean leans towards Sam and glares. “You wanna fucking put a bullet in the dead horse Sam? It’s kinda tired of being beat.”

 

Sam rolls his eyes. “I’m just saying that she comes with enough problems without adding her thoughts of being a hunter into it. It’s not like any of us chose this. She’s gonna have ta learn to deal with it, or she’s gonna get us all killed.” He points out with a frown. 

 

Dean stands from the table. “I know Sam. I know.” He looks around the kitchen before he turns back to Sam. “Look, I’ll be careful with the summoning. And I’ll talk to Lilly. You get things settled here, and, you know, make sure Mae’s up for this. I know she’s looking better and all, but, I’m still worried about her too.”

 

Sam studies Dean for another moment before he just nods with a deep sigh. “I can take care of Mae, Dean. Just make sure Lilly can fall in line. She can’t be pulling the shit she does when we’re on cases, and god help me if she drags Mae along into something stupid and dangerous.”

 

“You need to stop Sam.” Dean states calmly in warning. “Stop holding mistakes against people.”

 

“ _ Mistakes? _ ” Sam questions. “No. What Lilly does is not  _ mistakes _ . They’re stupid, reckless and irresponsible decisions that-”

 

“Sam!” Dean barks. “We’ve all made stupid, reckless and irresponsible decisions. Do you want them always held against us?” His tone made it clear that he was ready to start listing sins if Sam was.

 

Sam looks down at that and frowns. “I’ll make sure everything is ready to go when you get back.” He grumbles.

 

“Good.” Dean sighs and nods. What else was he going to do? Sam was too angry to listen, and he was to proud to admit how worried he actually was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. We hope you're enjoying the adventure so far. Don't forget to leave us a comment or Kudos. If you have some feed back for us on how to improve our writing, hit us up with it. Got a 'slice of life' theme you want to see us tackle? Let us know. We'll do our best to work it into our plot, or we'll post it in our Slices of Pie anthology. We enjoy challenges.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilly and Dean summon the king of the crossroads and have a *tiny* fight. Mae and Sam work to gather herbs, but then memories surface and Mae finds herself questioing her reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> We hope you're having a wonderful holiday season. Thanks for taking time out of your busy days to read our work. It is much apperciated! Without further ado, our latest chapter...

70

“Dean seriously, I can do this-” Lilly sighs after she finishes lacquering over the last devil trap when Dean cuts her off abruptly. She knew he wasn’t happy with this, and he had threatened and lectured from the minute she got into the car, but the closer they got to the actual summoning the more worried she had become. Ash had been a hunter too, maybe not Dean’s calibre of hunter, but still. It hadn’t taken much for a demon to kill him and she was growing worried about Dean. He had to be pretty damn high on their kill list, they both probably were.

“If you argue with me about this one more time Lilly. No, you can’t do this alone. Do you want to meet Crowley with me and a red ass? Or maybe I should call Cass and have him port your ass home.” Dean snaps at her. He was over her arguing.

“Alright, I get it. Sorry.” She sighs before she stands up. She looked at him one last time before she went to the rickety, but clean, table where she had already laid the supplies out.

“Good.” Dean glares at her sternly as he crosses his arms in front of his chest and leans back against the nearest crumpling wall. The abandoned shack was a couple of hours out of town and far closer to another city than Sioux Falls. He had to hand it to Lilly, she was a good strategist, when she put her mind to it and wasn’t working against him.

“Right.” Lilly sighs as she rubs the back of her neck nervously. “Well we’re ready then…” She frowns looking down at the supplies, not wanting to test his patience more than she already had. She couldn’t help but to be worried though.

“There are a lot of devil’s traps.” Dean says with a raised eyebrow, he hadn’t wanted to question her too much when he had been helping to paint the traps, but now that they were ready to get started, he really wanted to know more about what he should expect. And what she wanted him to do; besides leave.

“Seven.” Lilly frowns. “Seven demons got summoned last time. I am not playing that game again.” 

“Ok, where do you want me?” He asks, hoping she can just be serious. 

“Not he-” Lilly stops herself. “Wherever you are the most comfortable.” She smiles at him innocently.

Dean growls at he before he walks over to wrap his arms around her. “Where are you going to be standing?” He asks as he bends close to her, letting his breath tickle her neck as he spoke.

“Here.” Lilly sighs as she leans into him, her hands lazily gesturing to the shoddy table. He was playing a dangerous game. She was already distracted enough with worry, and now all she could do was smell him. She sighs as she straightens her back and turns to give him a stern glare as she studied him. “You’re distracting. Go stand somewhere else.” She frowns as she lightly pushes him.

Dean shakes his head before he manipulates the two of them again, wrestling her easily back to the position he had her in to begin with. “And you won't move from this spot?” He breathes into her ear, his lips brushing against her lobe as they formed words.

Lilly can’t help the shiver as she let’s out a noise of distressed mixed with a moan. “Not on purpose.” She breathes out, ignoring the way her pulse rose and her skin flushed at his low growl.

He growls softly, “And you won’t move from this spot unless you have to? Because you’re no longer safe here?”

Lilly frowns. “I will stay right here. But you need to be somewhere else.” She sighs out in frustration. 

“Great. Then I’ll stand over here.” Dean kisses her temple before he goes to lean against the wall directly in front of her.

“You’re a jerk sometimes you know that.” Lilly glares at him, before she drops her eyes back to the table. “You know I have to be grounded for rituals right?” She asks in annoyance.

“Think of what we’ll do when it’s over.” Dean teases.

“How is that helping?” Lilly asks with a frown.

“You have to do it right to get the reward.” Dean informs her a smug smile. “And that includes staying where you say you are going to. I mean it Lilly. You really won’t like the consequences if you move. I need to know you can listen.” 

Lilly frowns at him. What had gotten into him? “I listen.” She sighs as she quickly redoes her hair so her bangs are no longer in her face. When had she ignored him recently to be getting all this hostility? And wasn’t it a bit hypocritical? She needed to focus; and he comes over and growls in her ear and starting shit. What the fuck? She shakes her head.

“Prove it.” Dean challenges. He needed her to get through this following his orders and sticking to their plan. He had to know if he could trust her to follow his lead. He just wished he wasn’t having to test their ability to work together on hunts with something as dangerous as summoning the king of the fucking crossroads.

Lilly frowns at him. “So, should I start now?” She asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Ready when you are babe.” Dean pulls his shotgun up ready to deal with whatever she summoned.

Lilly nods as she turns back to the table, closing her eyes for a moment as she sorted her thoughts. She opens them after a moment and begins the chant as she goes through the motions, picking up each herb and adding it to the bowl. When that's done she picks up her athame and slices her open her palm and lets the blood drip into the mixture, before she flicks a match to life and drops that in as well. 

A bright light floods the room, the minute the match is tossed in, the spell crackling with so much energy, it forces Dean into wall with a force he hadn’t been expecting.

“Oh for the love of all things unholy. What the bloody hell is it now?” Lilly hears Crowley ground out angrily. She’s able to make out four shapes standing around the room as her eyes adjust. 

Lilly looks to where Dean was pushing himself off the wall with concern, before she looks to make sure the demons were caught in the traps. She can’t help the sigh of relief that leaves her lips when she notes that they were in fact trapped. Her eyes settle on Crowley and she frowns. Dean had said he had wanted to do the talking, but she wasn’t sure ignoring a king of anything was the best idea either. She chews her lip as she shifts with indecision. He was the one making the calls, he’d made that very clear to her.

Dean looks around the room in confusion. Did she put too much in the spell again? At least this time there were less. That meant she was getting better right? Or had there just been less minions around this time. He shakes his head, they’d probably never know. 

Crowley looks around the room slowly before his eyes land on Lilly. “Oh. Well, hello again Love. We really need to stop meeting under these circumstances. Maybe you should just give me your number. Phone calls are so much less... Passe.” He tells her with a flourish of his hand, completely ignoring the hunter to his back.

Lilly lifts her brow, surprised the demon had remembered her, before she schools her features and plasters a polite smile on her face and points towards Dean. 

“Hey, you’re here to deal with me demon, you can just leave her out of this.” Dean barks as he walks right up to the edge of the trap, his shot gun leveled at the well dressed, short demon.

Crowley frowns and shakes his head. “Dean Winchester. Mister there and back again himself. I’d say it’s an honor to met me, but you already know that.” He spares the hunter the briefest glance. “And actually, I’ll only be dealing with my summoner today. She’s so much more... interesting than you. Though I feel compelled to complement the size of your balls in this endeavor. You’re not exactly Hell’s most popular couple right now. Why don’t you just stand there like the eye candy you are.”

Lilly bristles at that. What the fuck was up with these male monsters? Did she need to mark him or something? This was ridiculous, first it was Mae now it was Dean. She got it, they were attractive, she was out of their league, but these fuckers could back the fuck down. She swallows her retort though and looks at Dean with a frown. He wanted her to prove she could listen, that she could follow his lead. 

“What’s the matter little flower? Cat got your tongue?” Crowley chuckles.

“Look you. We know you have the colt. Give it over.” Dean growls as he walks the circle towards Lilly.

Lilly gives the demon king a small but short apologetic smile of acknowledgement, before she turns her attention back to Dean.

Crowley tilts his head to the side and narrows his eyes at Lilly before he turns to look Dean over. “You want the colt do you? Well, here’s condition one. I’ll talk to her. She and I don’t talk, I don’t think about getting the colt for you.” Crowley plucks at his suit before he looks down at his nails. “I assume you are on some kind of timetable or deadline. Me though, I’ve got all the time in the world. Right boys.”

The demon minions around him all smile and start laughing. They continue to do so until Crowley narrows his eyes at them.

Dean looks from Crowley to Lilly and back. “I don’t think so. You deal with me. Or we’ll just leave his majesty's ass high and dry in the middle of this po’dunk neck of the woods.” He moves to stand next to Lilly, his shotgun still aimed directly at the crossroad king. “How’s that sound to you?”

“It sounds like you think you’ve got me by the short and curlies mate.” Crowley frowns for a moment before it morphs into a knowing grin. “However- Did you even think about how a spell that powerful is easy to trace? You bloody kidnapped me and three of my finest. Someone has already noticed and is putting out the message for all my good little minions to start searching for me. Just how far from the nearest crossroad are we?”

Dean glares at the demon, before he turns to look at Lilly. Would a tracking spell work with Lilly standing so close to the ones being tracked? He doubted it. 

Crowley lets out a sigh. “Besides. You want the colt right? I’m inclined to give it to your misses.”

Dean glares as he looks over Crowley. “Why?” He can’t help but to ask. This had taken a turn he hadn’t expected. Had Lilly left something out of their last meeting or something?

“Oh, well. We’ve got history. I’d be interested in making a history with you as well, but I’ve got to work with the one I distrust the least. Sorry mate, that just isn’t you.” Crowley shrugs. “But hey, you think her little blocking ability will keep my boys away, be my guest and waste what time we have. It’s a short window we’ve got here.”

Lilly lifts her brow. She couldn’t recall ever mentioning her Obscura. He had either sought her out, and come back empty handed or had looked into her by some other means. She was pretty confident that he was full of shit either way. Even Thoth hadn’t been able to find her, nor the angel when he was so inclined to look for her. She frowns as she remembered waking up naked that morning, unless he’d done something. That was entirely within the realms of possibility. Gods only knew what type of resources and spells a demon of this calibre had access too. 

Dean drops his eyes to Lilly for a moment. Dammit, he wasn’t willing to risk the opportunity they had here. If Crowley was telling the truth, if there were demons out searching for him as they spoke, he didn’t want to chance him and Lilly getting ganged up on. He was right here with her, and he just wouldn’t let it get to outta hand. With a soft growl Dean turns and grabs Lilly by her arm to pull with him. He walks to the other side of the room with her before he puts a finger under her chin and tilts her head up to look him in the eyes. “Can you get the colt without giving him too much? Do you think you can handle talking to him?” He whispers, watching her face intently for any signs of hesitation.

Lilly meets Dean’s gaze as she takes a moment to seriously consider her words. “Yes.” She says simply, but with conviction. She’d dealt with Regina for entire life. She knew semantics if nothing else.

“Alright. You do the talking.” Dean nods before his brow furrows. “Do not offer him anything without looking at me first. Do you understand me?”

“I understand sir.” Lilly responds with a small frown. She had no idea he could sound so much like John, and she wasn’t sure she liked it. She wasn’t stupid, and she didn’t appreciate being treated as such. He was the one acting like the demons couldn’t hear their hushed conversation. What was he thinking she was going to offer them? Her souls? His? Like they even wanted them at this point, they were both tarnished as fuck.

Dean drops his hand from her chin to her shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze as his face softens. “Alright, let’s do this then.”

Lilly nods as she follows Dean back to where they had been standing. 

“Crowley.” Lilly smiles pleasantly as she looks up at the demon. “What an honor that you would like to personally speak with me.”

“So you can still speak.” Crowley smiles pleasantly at her. “All done getting your orders from the big strong man then?”

Lilly doesn’t even bat an eye, even though the comment grates her nerves. “Yes I am.” She responds evenly.

“Excellent love. Shall we pick back up then. You summoned me, I greeted you…” Crowley gestures his hands towards her, as if putting the ball in her court.

Lilly can’t help her smile of amusement. “Hello your majesty, I’m sorry to have summoned you like this again, but I would really like the colt. I know it’s in your possession. I know you're a very busy man, but I felt like dealing with you directly would get us the quickest results. My apologies for any inconvenience on your part.” She responds respectfully. It was just like dealing with Regina and her running mates. She supposed politicians and demons would have something in common, and the shame and embarrassment for acting like this had long been beat out of her by her mother dearest.

“Ah. Right to the point then? No frivolous small talk? I like it. See here Dean, this is respect and a nose for business. You should always let her do the talking. She doesn’t sound like a sulking moron.” Crowley taunts Dean before he turns back to Lilly. “As I told your… Devilishly handsome partner there earlier, I am very inclined to give it to you. Word is, you all don’t like this apocalypse either. So, I imagine that you’re wanting the colt to do away with an archangel or two.” 

Lilly looks to a very disgusted looking Dean, who just nods before she turns back to Crowley. “That would be our plan, yes.”

“Excellent. Unfortunately I don’t have it on me at the moment. I do have to keep the damn thing safe, you understand.” Crowley bounces slightly on the heels of his feet as he watches Lilly with amusement. “Care to step into my office and we can discuss how to enact this trade.” His eyes dart to Dean with a small, mocking smile.

Lilly looks down at the lacquered demon trap and back to Crowley. “I do appreciate the offer sir, but I don’t feel like that would end well.” She smiles back coolly. 

Crowley smiles at Lilly and bows to her slightly. “As you wish. So now, the obvious impasse we find ourselves at. I am currently stuck in a trap. I am the only one that knows the location of the colt. You don’t think I’ll come back if let out. Have I missed anything then?”

“No, I believe that about covers it. One moment please.” Lilly smiles before she turns to Dean. 

“What if I offer a solution to our predicament?” Crowley asks as he steepled his fingers in front of his face.

“And what’s that?” Dean demands with a growl. 

“What if you hold on to my lieutenants here. Set the summoning back up if it makes you feel better. Break the seal and I’ll retrieve the colt and bring it right back to you.”

Lilly can’t help the small smile. Like he gave a flying fuck about his demons? She’d seen the way he treated them in the past. “I do have to ask sir, what are you getting out of this?” She asks politely. Why was he so willing to give them the colt? This seemed too easy and besides for his narcissism and her indifference at being polite to him, she didn’t understand why it had to be her who had to conversed with him. Had he just insisted on only speaking with her to spite Dean? Or had it been a more calculated move on his part? She didn’t know enough about the demon to know the difference. 

“Why you killing the devil of course. Have you heard the stories about him? He loathes humanity. What do you suppose he thinks about those of us created from twisted humanity? No thank you. I’d rather not be drained by a crazed angel in a makeshift meat suit spewing filth about us being his children.” Crowley sniffs in disgust.

Lilly nods, so it was a power play. That still worked in their favor. If they succeeded it might mean problems down the line, but surely this demon would be easier to deal with than Lucifer if it came down to it. He wanted them to kill the fallen angel, they wanted to kill the angel. “That seems reasonable.” She turns to look at Dean. 

Dean closes his eyes for a moment before he turns to Lilly. “You get that damn ritual set back up. Crowley, you have five seconds to get the damn colt and be back here before she summons your ass and I start salt and holy water washing you. Got it?”

“This is why I prefer dealing with the beautiful flower there.” Crowley rolls his eyes. “But yes, I understand. Hell hath no fury like an inpatient Winchester.”

Lilly nods at Dean as she backs away and turns back to the table and begins cleaning up the spent spell. 

Dean sets his shotgun on the ground and pulls his pocket knife out of his back pocket. “Let me know when you’re ready.” He tells Lilly as he squats next to the trap.

“Heard.” Lilly nods as she quickly cleans the bowl with a clorox wipe, before she sets it aside to dry. She pours rubbing alcohol onto a cloth and cleans the blade, placing it on the cloth. She turns to set up the herbs in the assorted cups again. She wanted to tell him the spell was going to take longer than five seconds, but didn’t see the point and doubted it mattered.

“Through little thing aren’t you?” Crowley snickers.

Lilly looks up at that and glowers. “I am not little.” She bites out, all sense of politeness gone at that shot, before she turns back to her task.

Crowley holds his hands up in front of him with a small smile on his face. “My apologies beautiful flower. I wasn’t aware size was such a hot button issue with you.”

Lilly frowns at Crowley in disapproval before she turns to Dean. “It’s ready.”

“To the colt and back you bastard. And don’t forget our damn bullets.” Dean glares as he gestures at the demon with his knife.

Crowley sighs dramatically, “I know, just get on with it.”

Dean shakes his head. He was taking a huge gamble. He uses the blade to scrape along the trap, peeling through the lacquer with some annoyance before he finally gets to the paint. When the trap finally breaks he looks up to Lilly. “Go!”

Crowley disappears.

Lilly starts chanting, beginning the ritual over again.

Dean grabs his shotgun and moves to stand behind Lilly protectively.

Lilly cuts her other palm this time, knowing better than to use the older blood, when Crowley reappears. “See there, didn’t take me long at all.” He announces before he tosses the colt to Dean. 

Lilly frowns. “It’s an antique.” She clicks her tongue as she pulls out another clorox wipe and presses it to her cut before she side steps away from the demon and Dean. 

Dean had easily caught the colt and was looking down at it, shaking his head. With a grim smirk he aims the gun at Crowley and pulls the trigger. It clicks.

“Right, sorry about that. You will be wanting the bullets as well.” Crowley pulls a leather pouch from his coat pocket. “But first.” He holds up his other hand and snaps his fingers three times, a demon screams before collapsing at each snap.

Dean takes that time to pocket the colt before he pulls out the demon blade and steps towards Crowley.

“Oh, well if I had known you had that little beauty I would have let you have the honors.” Crowley shakes his head as he backs up, still holding the bag of bullets in front of him. “Can’t have the little snitches get back to Lucifer can we?”

Lilly watches the two of them with growing fear as she drops the wipe in her hand and digs her nails into the open cut in her palm. This had been going really well, at least in her opinion so she didn’t quite understand Dean’s motives, but she was following his lead. She winces as she feels the cut peel back open, before she wipes her blood on her dominant hand. 

“One more step Dean and I leave with the bullets.” Crowley threatens. “I understand you can make more, but really, do you have the time?” 

Dean stops moving. “Just toss them to Lilly and get the hell out of here ya damn piece of shit.” 

Crowley glares back at Dean, “Don’t bloody miss.” He nods and tosses the bag over to Lilly. “Best of luck then.” He bows slightly before disappearing.

Lilly scrambles to catch the bag and pulls it to her chest quickly, relieved by the weight of it.

Dean had wanted to take out another piece of Lilly’s horrible past, but he’d have to be content with the fact they had successfully worked together and had the colt and bullets. He’d get another crack at the shithead that had been there when Ash had died. He lets out a resigned sigh as he re-holsters the knife. “You okay babe?” He asks as he turns and rushes back over to Lilly.

“I’m good.” Lilly nods as she holds out the bag with a bloody hand.

Dean wraps his arms around Lilly and crushes her to his chest. “Thank you.” He breaths against her hair. 

“For?” Lilly questions confused as she adjusts her grip on the bag before she hugs him back.

“For listening and following my lead.” Dean explains before he kisses her forehead. “For getting the colt. He wouldn’t have dealt with me, and I’m sorry. I know you really don’t want to have anything to do with this life, but you did great.”

“Oh.” Lilly frowns. What the fuck did he seriously think of her? What the hell had she done that he thought she couldn’t follow simple orders? “Crowley? This is bout…” Her brow furrows in confusion. “I really don’t mind Dean.” She adds, her head tilting to the side as she looks up at him. “Are you okay?” She asks in concern.

Dean sets her back on her feet and gives her a confused look. “Me? I’m good. Here. Let’s get your hands taken care of and get the hell outta here. I really don’t think one more night at Mystic is going to kill us.” Dean takes the bag if bullets from her and slides them into his jacket before he turns to retrieve the colt.

Lilly frowns. “Don’t tempt fate like that Tex.” She sighs as she walks over to start packing up her equipment.

“Unless you don’t want that reward we talked about.” Dean teases as he walks back over to help her.

Lilly lifts her brow from where she was cleaning her supplies. “Speakin’ of which… What was all of that about?” She frowns at him. “Do you think I’m stupid or something?” She asks curiously.

Dean tilts his head to the side in confusion. “No, I don’t think you’re stupid Lilly. What are you talking about?”

“I’m just curious where the two hour lecture came from… And the ordering me around like I couldn’t follow simple instructions.” Lilly adds as she cleans the bowl out again.

Dean frowns. “You mean the show we were putting on?”

“A show?” Lilly asks skeptically. 

“Yeah. Me ordering you around like that felt natural. It’s what I’m actually like out in the field. I didn’t want them to think they could start trying to target you.” Dean furrows his brow.

“I see…” Lilly frowns as she goes silent. It had started way before Crowley and his entourage had shown up. It had started the second they had started out of Mystic. If that was a show it was an awfully in depth one. 

“Look Lilly, I ain’t going to apologise for being bossy. It’s how I make sure we stay alive.” Dean crosses his arms in front of his chest and frowns. “What I did in front of Crowley was a show, yes. I needed to know if you could handle having that kind of pressure put on you. You haven’t made it a secret that you don’t want to be a hunter, but he was adamant about only dealing with you. He was making it difficult and I wasn’t willing to risk our lives betting on whether or not he was lying about being looked for. We’re not equipped right now to handle more than a few demons.”

“So it wasn’t a show it was a test.” Lilly corrects with a frown. “Because you don’t think I can listen. Or follow your lead. Which was what the rules on the ride over here were for.” 

“The talk on the way over here was to remind you to listen to me. We agreed that you would do the summoning because you are far better at rituals than I’ll ever be. I wanted to do the rest because I am the trained hunter. How could I have set up a fucking test with Crowley? How was I supposed to know he was going to demand to talk to you? I was trying to keep you out of this like you want. But we have to face the facts babe. We’re all in this life now whether we want it or not. It’s not like any of us fucking chose this. Not me and Sammy, not Bobby, not even Mae.” Dean leans back against the table and watches her. 

Lilly thinks for a moment as she packs up the materials into her bag. She didn’t feel wrong. This had felt like it had been a test. Not the Crowley thing, the listening thing. She wasn’t an idiot. She just didn’t like being ignored if she felt like she had a valid idea or point. As for her being in this life, when had she said she wasn’t? She was a gods damn cursed priestess way before the Winchester’s had shown up, and Mae was a fucking fairy. Of course there wasn’t any going back once they had learned that. So what the fuck was he talking about? Hunting? Damn right she didn’t want to be a fucking hunter. She wasn’t exhuming corpses and lighting bodies on fire and crawling through basements and sewers and whatever shit they did. That was fucking disgusting. They’d never even been on a hunt together. Where the hell was he getting this information? 

“I’m not hunter material Dean. I’m not, and have no interest in it. But ya’ll can enjoy that shit all day for all I care. I’m just along for the ride till we figure this shit out. You need research, spells, rituals, fuck apparently diplomacy I can do that.” Lilly frowns.

Dean didn’t understand how that was any different from hunting, but he nods. “Okay. I’m good with that. You don’t want to be a hunter. You want to help with the book work.”

Lilly nods as she grabs her bag and swings it over one shoulder. “Yeah.” She sighs as she grabs the rubbing alcohol and cloths off the table.

“Here. Let me clean your hands and get them wrapped up.” Dean offers as he pulls his bag out from under the table.

Lilly looks around the shabby room. “Let’s just do it in the car. It’s cleaner.”

Dean nods. “Let’s get some distance between us and this shit hole.”

Lilly smiles as she follows Dean out of the shack and leans against Mae’s car. She pops open the rubbing alcohol and douses a rag before she cleans the drying blood off her hands. “They just need wraps, they aren’t deep.”

Dean frowns. “You don’t want the healing goop?”

Lilly looks at the cuts and frowns. “It’s not goop, it’s salve. And if you still have some it wouldn’t hurt, but they’re pretty weak as far as cuts go.” 

“Salve. Goop. Whatever, it heals things pretty damn fast.” Dean chuckles as he opens the kit and pulls out the little container. “And it would make me feel better? Wanna just go with that?” He smiles at her and holds one hand out.

Lilly rolls her eyes, but gives Dean her right hand nonetheless. He was going to have to get used to shit like this eventually. She wondered if she should just have the discussion with him now. She knew he thought it was like cutting, had told her as much, and maybe in a way it was. Both gave her control over a situation where she was normally lost. 

Dean carefully spreads the salve over the cuts on her palm and wraps them up. “Good as new huh?” He smiles down at her as he reaches out to run his thumb along her small jaw.

Lilly nods as she looks up at him. “Thanks Cowboy.” She smiles as she kisses his thumb.

“You ready for a car trip home?”

“I call driving.” Lilly smiles.

“Yeah right. You mean shotgun.” Dean rolls his eyes.

“No. I mean driving. This isn’t baby. It’s Mae’s car.” Lilly shakes her head.

“Yeah, but you’re not driving with those hands.” Dean reminds her as he holds the keys in his hand above her head.

Lilly glares at him. “You think your being cute, but one quick kick to the nuts and you’ll be shorter than me, you ass. I’m driving.” She says as she holds out her hand.

“I said no Lilly.” Dean shakes his head and walks around the car.

Lilly watches him with a glare. Fine. Two could play this game. She smiles as she moves to the passenger seat and slides in moving her bag to the back seat. 

Dean tosses his bag and gun in the trunk before he slides into the driver’s seat. He slams the key into the ignition and starts the car. “So, about your reward huh? Wanna fill me in on what I can do to make this whole trip a bad memory?” He smiles as he pulls away from the condemned shack. 

“I don’t know… It’s a bit of a trip, let me think about it?” Lilly smiles her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Dean lets out a sigh of relief. He had been sure she was going to throw a tantrum about not being able to drive. “What? No sharing of fantasies or nothing to to keep us entertained until we get back?”

“Well I have so many Dean, it’s not often I earn rewards.” Lilly responds softly even as she moves to her knees. “And I can think of a few other things on the trip home I would like to do…”

“That’s a damn lie Lilly and you know it.” Dean shakes his head before he turns to give her a short, quizzical look. “Oh yeah? Whatcha thinkin babe?”

“Well, I’ve never given road head…” Lilly smiles coyly. “And it’s not often that it’s just the two of us in the car alone…” She breathe out as she caressed his thigh and leaned forward to nip his chest. “And since your driving anyways, I figured what a better time than now? You know?”

Dean tilts his head to the side. “That’s true I guess.” This had fucking trap written all the fuck over it. It was too late though, he’d always imagined what it would be like to have his hands on the wheel and her talented lips around him. He’d always hoped it would be in his car, but he was feeling flexible with this particular fantasy. He couldn’t have stopped how hard she was getting him if he’d wanted to.

Lilly smiles as she leans up and kisses his jaw. He wanted to play control freak? That was fine. She wondered how in control he’d be while she had his dick down the back of her throat. It was only fair for distracting her earlier, and his latest order. Like she couldn’t drive. This was going to go places. She growls at the thought, the noise throaty, as she unclasps the buttons of his jeans and slowly strokes his already hard length.

“Damn babe, just the fucking thought.” Dean breathes out.

Lilly nuzzles him slightly before she bends down and licks at his cock, before she takes him in her mouth with a moan.

Dean lets out a throaty groan and grips the steering wheel tighter. Lilly fucking knew how to use her mouth and tongue like no one he’d ever been with. Two seconds on his dick and he was already having trouble reminding himself to keep his damned eyes on the road. He wanted to wrap his fingers in her hair or trace patterns on her silky skin. He takes a quick breath as she curls her tongue and swirls it expertly. “Damn. So fucking hot.”

Lilly moans at the encouragement as she takes him deeper, one hand coming up to pull at his jeans more so she could cradle and massage his balls.

Dean can’t keep the smile off his face. This was going to be a fun car ride. Maybe he’d actually let her drive a little so he could return the favor.

71

Mae smiles as she puts her hands into the soil around the herb garden. She was so happy to be spending time outside again. Her garden was in need of some serious TLC, and she really hoped she could talk Sam and Dean into letting her take care of the soil quality before they left again. 

Sam was picking the herbs that were on the list Lilly had made with some annoyance, but every time he caught Mae with her hands shoved into the dirt he couldn’t help but to smile. She looked completely at peace in her element, he was happy that she was enjoying it for one last stretch of time before they took off. He hoped it would help her cope while they were away. 

“We’re almost done with the list.” Mae states as she dusts her hands off on her shorts. Castiel had taken half the list and had gone off to collect them.

“Are you even gathering?” Sam asks with an amused smile. “Cause from where I’m standing you look like you’re playing in the dirt.”

Mae grins. “Mostly just playing in the dirt.” She admits before she clips a few sprigs of peppermint and puts them in her basket.

Sam chuckles. “We’re gonna need a shower after this. You’re covered.”

Mae rolls her eyes. “It’s just dirt Sam. It’s not gonna hurt you.” She teases as she stands.

“Oh I know.” Sam smiles. “I’m just looking for an excuse.”

“Oh really?” Mae rushes over to jump tackle him to the ground. “Then I guess you’re going to have to get covered too.” She laughs as she straddles his waist. 

Sam chuckles as he flips them so he’s on top before he leans down and claims her lips. His hand caressing her side before it slips under her shirt, as he deepens his kiss.

“Why are you two rolling in the dirt?” Castiel asks with a frown. 

“Sam said I was covered in dirt and needed a shower. I just had to make sure he needed one too.” Mae giggles as Sam snatches his hand away and moves off her.

Castiel tilts his head to the side. Lilly was not going to be pleasant when she came home to dirt everywhere. “I see.”

“Right. Well we’re filthy now. You mind getting the rest of the herbs?” Sam asks as he looks down at Mae in amusement.

Mae giggles. 

“I do think it would be best if you cleaned. I will get the rest of the herbs.” Castiel nods.

“You really don’t mind?” Mae asks as she sits up, pulling a twig from her hair before she twirls it in her fingers.

“No. I do not.” Castiel frowns as he looks at them with worry. He was not sure when Dean was bringing Lilly back, but he knew it would not be good if there was dirt everywhere when they returned. He’d heard her cleaning all night and knew that she was already going to be unpleasant from exhaustion when she got home.

“Thanks Cass. I guess I got carried away playing in the dirt.” Mae smiles up at Castiel.

“Yeah.” Sam chuckles as he picks Mae up and stands. “Sorry about that man. And thanks. We’re gonna go wash up.” He adds sheepishly as he nods to the angel before he turns and heads to the house. He would’ve just had sex with her in the garden if Castiel hadn’t made his presence known.

Mae giggles and wraps her arms around Sam’s neck. “We’re going to have to strip and rinse off with the hose before we go inside.”

“I am not doing that.” Sam shakes his head. “We’re goin’ up stairs. We’ll deal with the other shit later.” He grumbles as he leans down and claims her lips before she could argue. He didn’t really give a shit about Lilly’s dirt rule at the moment. She’d live and she wasn’t really his concern. He releases her lips as he manages to get the door open without jostling Mae too much before he shoots up the kitchen stairs. 

Mae pouts as Sam sets her down in his bathroom. “That was not fair sir. You can’t just kiss me stupid like-” 

Sam growls as he leans down and claims her lips again, backing her into his wall. His hands moving over her slowly as he cupped one of her breasts and massaged it. He smiles against her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he picks her up with his free hand.

Mae moans into his mouth and wraps her legs around his waist. She loved this animalistic side of him. She loved the way he took control. She kissed him back passionately as her fingers twine into his hair.

“You were saying?” Sam growls as he looks down at her, his eyes lingering on her swollen lips before he looks into her eyes.

“Words?” Mae questions as she shakes her head slightly, trying to remember what they were talking about before he pinned her to the wall like a butterfly.

Sam can’t help the smirk that pulls at his lips. “That’s what I thought.” He chuckles huskily as he lowers her back to the ground and starts peeling her shirt off, wanting to see her skin, needing to touch her. It doesn’t take long for him to strip her naked before he pins her again, his hands touching everywhere he could reach as he claimed her lips once more.

Mae smiles as she slowly worked at his shirt buttons. She moans again as he spreads a fire through her body in the wake of his hands. 

Sam sighs as he puts her down and quickly pulls his own clothes off as he watches Mae bounce to the shower and turn it on. He follows her, leaving a trail of clothes in his wake. He picks her up as he walks them both into the shower, instantly claiming her lips again before he pins her to the shower once more; his hands explored her slowly. The dirt quickly turns to muddy streaks with his wet hands as he enjoys touching her like this again. He was just so damned happy to see her smiling he couldn’t help himself. 

Mae couldn’t have concentrated on taking a shower if she’d tried. Her world consisted of his demanding lips and sensual hands. It was all she could do to hold on to him; to run her fingers over his beautifully sculpted back muscles. She loved the feel of him against her and she wrapped her legs around his waist again, locking her feet under her knees like she was sitting crossed legged to keep from slipping. 

Sam scans the shower, grabbing a washcloth and quickly dousing soap on it before he starts washing her. His lips trailing teasing kisses along her perfect body before he closes his lips around her nipple and sucks, smirking in male satisfaction as she moans and holds him closer. 

The shower was a blur for Mae. She felt like need personified. She could smell the light sweet orange scent of the body wash Sam was using, could feel his hands massage her all over, even in her hair. She blindly tried to reciprocate, but she constantly found herself distracted by the lines of his face , the weight of his hair, the hardness of his dick as it pressed against her while she attempted to wash his chest. If he hadn’t been pay attention to where the water was spraying she was sure she would have drowned. 

When Sam is satisfied that they’re both dirt free he shuts off the water and walks them to his bed. His lips never leaving hers as he lowers the both of them to bed, careful not to hurt Mae. His lips leave hers as he trails hot kisses down her throat kissing as one hand splayed over hip to keep her in place as the other caressed her side and trailed up to massage her breast. He had missed this. Her. The way she tasted. He’d gone slow last night, careful not to trigger anything, but he felt like he was burning with his need to taste her. Touch her. 

Mae looks up into Sam’s eyes and touches the tip of her tongue to her lips. “I want to do something.” She admits as she runs her hands up his arm that was pinning her hip down.

Sam’s eyes sweep over her and he backs off slightly. He watches her for a moment, almost denying her before he nods. “Sure.” He breathes after he ducks down and sucks on her very inviting nipple. He releases her hip as he moves to the side of her his eyes never once leaving her.

With an excited grin Mae comes up to her knees and leans over to kiss him deeply as she slowly guides him to lay back on the bed. She gives him an impish smile as she straddles him. “I love you.” She purrs before she bends over to spread kisses down his throat.

“Love you too.” Sam responds huskily as his hands come up to run up and down her sides, unable to stop himself from touching her.

Mae slowly works her way down his body, her lips kissing every inch of skin that her fingers weren’t dancing over. He was beautiful. She would never get enough of his natural scent, of the feel of his skin under her soft lips. She couldn’t hold back the sultry moan as she slid lower, finally revealing his hard length. She had contemplated teasing, but those thoughts went out the window as she lightly trailed her tongue and kisses down the slight trail leading to his shaft.

Sam lets out a hiss of pleasure when he feels her warm breath. He closes his eyes and curses as her warm mouth wraps around him; his hand burying in her soft hair. She felt so good around him. Everything about the woman on top of him was perfect, but he’d been planning on doing this for her, and over his damn dead body was he going to cum before her. A low growl escapes him as she massages his dick with her tongue, the vibrations from her moaning around him making his fist tighten in her hair. He looks down at her, his eyes dark with lust as he watches her in fascination while she takes him further down her throat. His eyes burn with lust, waiting for her to come up for breath so he could return the favor. When she finally releases him with a wet ‘pop’ he swiftly picks her up and switches their positions.

Mae giggles at the familiar sensation of the world spinning around her. He was so damned strong and able to move her so easily. She pouts, she hadn’t gotten to enjoy that for very long and was getting set to voice her disappointment when he crushed his lips to her’s; making her forget everything again.

Sam kisses her deeply enjoying the taste of him on her tongue before he breaks it and begins trailing kisses down her throat. Her chest. Her breasts, taking care that both got equal attention as he kept her pinned. He growled in satisfaction at every moan and whimper, making a mental note of the places that made her hips buck beneath his strong hands, as if she’d ever had a chance. He smirks as he kisses her flat stomach, licking and nipping gently.

“Sam.” Mae breaths his name out like a prayer. She was on fire, or she was fire. She couldn’t tell anymore. She just wanted him inside of her, needed him there. 

Sam looks up with a smug smile as he moved one hand off her hip and begin teasing her clit, as he slowly enjoyed his exploration. He wanted her on fire. He wanted her to know it was him doing this to her. That he was the one making her feel this way. He moved trailed down slower. His eyes on her face as he took in her beautiful face as she shuddered beneath him, bucking for the release he was looking forward to giving her, as he moved his hand to slide a finger into her, before adding a second as he pumped his hand into her. “That’s it baby.” He growls against her thigh as he pumps his hand into her faster. Watching her in satisfaction, before he moved his lips over her clit and sucked as his fingers continued to pump in and out of her. His tongue swirling around her most sensitive spot.

Mae mewl and bucks her hips against his hands before the world around her suddenly darkened. She saw pink and white lace and felt Lilith’s small hands holding her down as she tormented her body with her mouth and teeth. Her heart freezes and she lets out a strangled scream.

Sam pauses as he quickly pulls away in confusion, her scream ripping at his heart. He quickly joins her on the bed and pulls her close to him. “Mae. Baby. Sshh.” He coos to her. “It’s me baby.” He whispers against her hair as his blood goes cold. What the fuck had happened? Was she okay? She was shaking, and struggling against him. “Mae. You need to breath for me baby.” He coaxes her as he holds her to him firmly. 

Mae fought against the hold on her. She had to get out, she couldn’t face her again. She wouldn’t talk this time. Why was she back here? Had she ever even left? Tears leak from the corners of her eyes. Her mind was clouded and the room spun around her.

“Baby. Mae.” Sam says softly, afraid of letting her go. “You need to breath baby. I have you.” He instructs softly. “You’re with me. We’re at Mystic.” He adds firmly as his eyes sweep over her face, his heart breaking at the fear he finds reflecting back at him. He could kick himself. He’d gone too fast, and he’d been too rough. He hated himself right now. “Mae. Baby.” He coos to her softly. “You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

Mae cries out in panic. She screams for Sam. Begs for Lilly to find her. She calls out to Castiel, begging him to help her. 

Sam’s eyes widen in surprise as Castiel suddenly appears next to them and immediately reaches out and presses his hand to Mae’s temple and puts her to sleep.

“What happened.” Castiel growls as he glares at Sam.

“Fuck.” Sam growls as he slowly lays Mae back on the bed. “I don’t fucking know.” He says completely lost, not even caring that Castiel had showed up. He looked down at Mae and frowned. “She needs that damn pillow.” He curses and suddenly Castiel disappears as quickly as he’d come only to come back with the pillow and gently tucks it under Mae’s head. 

“She was very distressed. She prayed for me to save her from Lilith.” Castiel explains.

“What?” Sam frowns as he quickly stands and covers Mae with his comforter. “Why?” He asks.

“I’m asking you that Sam.” Castiel glares as he crosses his arms over his chest. “It was very disconcerting.”

Sam sighs as he stares at Mae and rubs the back of his neck anxiously. “I’m not sure, we were having a good time. I know she was.” He frowns. “And then she froze and started screaming so I stopped and tried to calm her, and then you showed up.” He explains.

Castiel frowns. “Perhaps I should consult with Maat.”

Sam sighs as he runs his hands over his face. “Yeah, I mean. If you think we should. Can’t we just wake her up and ask her what happened?”

Castiel shakes his head. “She will most likely wake up in the same state. Even in sleep her heart rate is still raised.”

Sam shakes his head. “That’s not good.”

“No.” Castiel frowns as he steps forward and puts his hand on her temple and closes his eyes in concentration. He stays like that for several moments before he opens his eyes and looks to Sam and confusion. “Why were you attempting to eat her?” He asks in confusion.

Sam’s entire body goes red. “It’s- I- Uh-” He stutters as he turns and goes to grab some pants and tugs them on. He was not having this conversation naked. “Uh-” He clears his throat. “Why?” He finally gets out, thoroughly mortified. 

“That was when her mind tricked her into believing she was still with Lillith.” Castiel crosses his arms in front of his chest and watches Sam.

Sam curses as he pulls his hand through his hair. “Oh.” He frowns as he looks to Mae with a frown. “Fuck.” He curses again. He should have asked Lilly for more fucking details. That was stupid. He scratches the back of his head with annoyance. He’d never felt like this big of an ass hole. “It’s a sex act Cass.” He frowns, feeling the angel still drilling holes into him. “It’s not like cannibalism or anything like that.” 

“Women enjoy mouths that close to their sex organs?” Castiel frowns in confusion.

Sam groans. “Usually. I don’t know. Mae used to. This is a Lilly question. She wanted to be a doctor.”

Castiel nods. “We have had many discussions about human anatomy and physiology.”

“Right.” Sam sighs. “Then ask her.”

“Should I awaken her?” Castiel asks as he hovers his hand over her forehead. “Lilly does not like when I put her to sleep when she should deal with the issue. But I was very lost as to the situation.”

Sam grimaces as he thinks about it. “I’m not sure man… She was not in a good place.” And Lilly wasn’t here to yell at them, or tell them what to do. He actually wished she was. He was fucking lost. “Maybe we should just let her sleep until Lilly gets back. She’ll know what to do right? Imma go look this up. I should’ve done it before.”

Castiel hesitantly nods. “Can I help? I would like to be know how to best help Mae.”

Sam sighs as he runs his hand through his hair again. “Yeah. You should go look and see if Lilly has any books on like PTSD or something. Imma look online.” 

Castiel nods and flaps away.

Sam frowns as he looks down at Mae. He wanted to hold, her but was scared to touch her. Instead he carefully tucks her in before he walks to his desk to boot up his rarely used desktop. His eyes dart to Mae every now and then with concern as he pulls up sites to help him understand what had just happened and to hopefully avoid triggering her like this again in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope you enjoyed te chapter. We know you;' busy, but if you are enjoying our writting we would love to hear from you. Leave us a comment, or send us a message. We really want to hear feedback. Don't forget to follow or favorite us and our story. We have a couple of works posted, so if you`re interested be sure to check those out. Lots of love guys, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!


	32. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about last week readers, Christmas came out of nowhere. You'd think that something that happens every year on the same date wouldn't be so stealthy... But here we are. Speaking of that though, we hope you all had a Merry Christmas. And hopefully you're getting geared up for an amazing new year. 
> 
> Back to that lapse though... As recompense, we will be posting three chapters, this one as a make up, the second because another Sunday is coming, and the third as our gift to you lovely readers. Keep an eye out for them, and we hope you enjoy. ;)

72

 

Lilly can’t hide her grin as she pulls back for the eighth time when Dean shuddered under her ministrations. This had been so much more fun than she had anticipated, and he was getting so frustrated. It was amazing feeling. 

 

“Gods dammit Lilly. There was no bump in the road that time. We’re on a straightaway.” Dean grumbles painfully. 

 

“Sorry.” Lilly breaths as her tongue darts out and licks his sensitive tip. 

 

Dean shakes his head. “This time I really don’t believe you. You’re fucking edging me.”

 

Lilly immediately takes him back into her mouth, but not before a sadistic giggle escapes.

 

Dean grabs her around her waist and slams on the brakes to pull to the side of the deserted road. “You little brat.” He grumbles as he slides the car into park before he brings his hand down on the swell of her ass.

 

Lilly moans around his cock at the sudden sting. 

 

Dean grins as he pulls her skirt up to her waist before he smacks his hand down again. “You. Are. Being. A. Little. Brat.” He lectures, accenting each word with it’s own stinging slap.

 

Lilly chokes as she swiftly releases him, fearful of biting him, and damaging his dick. “Dan-Dangerous.” She scolds through her heavy pants, her hands bunched in his jeans.

 

“Yeah. It is.” Dean adds a few more swats before he starts rubbing her skin. Oh, he was going to get his revenge for this, but she had taken him beyond his point of backing down. “You ever want my dick in you again you better finish this time.” He threatens even though he knows it’s empty.

 

Lilly can’t help herself as she lets out another sadistic giggle, even as she wraps her lips back around his cock and starts sucking as she licks and massages him with her tongue, every intention on calling his bluff.

 

Dean wasn’t an idle participant this time. He alternates soft swats to her ass with sensual massaging. 

 

When he begins shuddering in her mouth she begins to release him, when she feels his hand land across her ass cheeks with a loud resounding smack. She cries out around him before it morphs into a moan. She swallows him deeper down the back of her throat with a delighted gasp.

 

“That is what you get for being a tease you little brat.” Dean growls inarticulately.

 

Lilly’s entire body shudders at his tone; a perfect mixture of frustration and arousal. Her eyes sparkle with amusement as she slowly releases him, still licking and sucking. She frowns however when she licks at his tip, and finds it clean. Had he fucking- That bastard! She pulls up and looks at him with a pout. 

 

Dean adjusts and fixes his pants as soon as she sits back. “You still want to drive?” He asks breathlessly.

 

“Nah.” Lilly pants as she wipes the drool from her face. She hadn’t even gotten to taste it.

 

“Let me rephrase that.” Dean clears his throat as he unbuckles. “Lilly, lose the panties and drive.” He orders.

 

Lilly looks up and frowns. “But-” She pauses as she eyes him carefully. “You wanted to drive Dean.”

 

“And I did drive. I drove us about half way home. Your turn.” Dean glares at her.

 

Lilly licks her lips as she eyes him wearily. “Mae really likes this car Dean.” 

 

“Then I suggest you not wreck it. Panties gone Lilly. You’re driving the rest of the way home.” Dean grins at her as he stands from the car and moves around to the passenger side.

 

Lilly bites her bottom lip. She didn’t like this game anymore. She watches him curiously. He wasn’t serious was he?

 

Dean opens her door. “You can do it yourself or I can do it for you.” He explains as he unbuckles her.”

 

Lilly frowns. “Did you not like it?” She asks innocently. “I know it was my first go at…”

 

“Aww, babe. I had fun.” Dean smiles sweetly at her as he pulls her from the seat. “I just want to return the favor.”

 

Lilly blinks as she stands, she didn’t like his tone at all. “No, that’s okay baby. That was for you.” 

 

Dean pins her with a stern glare. “Are you pulling off the panties or am I taking everything from the waist down?”

 

Lilly shifts as she slowly takes off her underwear. “Dean. Tex. Babe. I was just trying to make sure you enjoyed your driving..”

 

Dean pulls her up to kiss her. “Oh, I enjoyed the fuck outta that. And now it’s your turn.” He smiles as he takes her underwear from her.

 

Lilly bites her lip. She was going to ruin Mae’s car. She didn’t have nearly the control Dean did. “Babe.” She cackles. “I really didn’t-” She starts again before she can stop herself. “I didn’t mean to keep stopping.” She forces out before she giggles gleefully again.

 

“You are a  _ liar _ . I knew it was a trap and I walked right into it.” Dean looks her over for a second before he looks up and down the deserted road again. No one had driven past them the entire time they had been stopped. “But fine, you don’t think you can manage to drive while I finger you? Then-” He picks her up while she’s still howling with laughter and tosses her into the backseat. “I guess I’m just tormenting you back here.”

 

Lilly immediately props herself up as she looks at him in amusement. She tries to apologize but just ends up laughing again, choking on it as she tried to breath. 

 

“I should spank your ass cherry and make you sit on it the rest of the way home.” Dean shakes his head before he grabs her ankle and pulls her back towards him.

 

Lilly giggles again. “I’m- I’m so-Sorr-” She tries as she holds her stomach.

 

“I wouldn’t believe you even if you could get it out Lilly.” Dean growls before he palms her with one hand and teases her with a finger.

 

Lilly’s laughter stops as she lets out a choked moan. “Fuck!” She cries out in surprise.

 

“Oh look, I found a cure for evil laughter and false apologies.” Dean chuckles as he twists one finger deep into her without warning.

 

Lilly’s eyes open in surprise as she lets out a moan. “Dean.” She pants as she looks up at him.

 

Before she can say anything else he starts roughly fingering her with just the one finger, his other hand comes up to tease her clit. He was going to return the favor all right. 

 

Lilly arches as she attempts to find something to grab onto as a throaty noise leaves her throat. Her eyes closing as heat rushes through her, her breaths coming out raspy as she curses. Her mind going blissfully blank as he played with her. She’d been heavily aroused for well over an hour now, and he felt delicious. “Fuck! Dean!” She whines needily as she thrusts against him.

 

Dean meets her demands with a small smirk on his lips. He doubted he would be able to edge her for very long before she would start making crazy threats. He shakes his head and concentrates on getting her to that edge as fast as possible. He twists and gently pinches her clit, easily rolling it between two fingers with one hand as he slows just long enough to add another finger before he starts thrusting into her again.

 

Lilly feels herself close to coming as she curses. Her vision going white. “Fuck.Me.Fuck!.” She growls as her nails dig into the upholstery of the back seat. Her breaths coming out quickly.  

 

Dean moves his hand off her clit and uses it to pin her legs against the seat as he slows to an agonizing pace, balancing perfectly so she wouldn’t lose the tightening of her muscles, but wouldn’t achieve release either.

 

“Fuck!Dean!Please!” Lilly begs with whine as she attempts to buck against him.

 

Dean chuckles. “Shoulda been a good girl instead of a brat.” He takes his fingers from her and rubs slow circles on her clit.

 

Lilly lets out a low strangled whine as she quickly sits up and grabs his head by the hair and pulls. “Fuckmedammit!” She growls as her eyes flash before she claims his lips roughly. “Now!” She growls as she breaks the kiss.

 

“Aww, babe. Dammit, I’m not good at saying no to you when you’re all wet and needy for me.” Dean sighs. He was just going to have to get revenge some other day.

 

Lilly growls at him as she pulls him back to her by his hair, and claims his lips again. Her hips bucking in an attempt to find relief.

 

Dean slides his fingers back into her and starts thrusting them at that rough, fast pace again.

 

A strangled moan leaves her lips as she wraps her arms around him and nuzzles into him, as she struggles to breath. She wanted him in her now. Fuck fingers. She moves her hands down to his jeans as she fumbled with the stupid buttons.

 

“You really don’t like edging.” Dean chuckles as he realizes what she’s doing. He grins and pulls his fingers out of her. His lips pull into a smirk as she lets out another disappointed groan. “You’re the one messing with my jeans woman.”

 

“Pleaseneedyounowplease!” Lilly groans in frustration.

 

Dean shakes his head and pulls her completely out of the car to stand her on her feet.

 

Lilly growls as her hands go to his jeans and fumbles to undo the buttons before she tugs at them till she tugs him free and falls to her knees as she slips him into her mouth again.

 

Dean shakes his head and picks her back up off the ground. “That is not what you wanted Lilly.” He chuckles as he manipulates her back into the car on her hands and knees before he slams into her.

 

Lilly’s eyes widen as a strangled cry of pleasure escapes her lips. “Yesfuckyesfuckmeyesthankyou!” She hisses in pleasure as she squirms beneath him, unable to stop herself from moving, needing the friction.

 

“Fuck. Oh fuck babe.” Dean groans as he thrusts into her. “So good.” He would never have pictured her willing to have sex on the side of the road like this. But he also couldn't picture her having sex in a dusty cabin and he had already checked that box with her. She was just full of surprises.

 

Lilly pants as she meets him thrust for thrust, her fists white knuckled. “Pullmyhair!” She orders with a growl. 

 

Dean smirks as he reaches forward to wrap her hair around one hand. “So. Fucking. Bossy.” He chuckles as he pulls back.

 

Lilly lets out a throaty moan as her hair is pulled and begins moving her hips quicker, feeling herself closer to the edge. 

 

Dean slams into her hard and deep, one hand wrapped in her hair and pulling her back while the other moves from her hips to smack her ass.

 

Lilly screams as she cums hard around Dean, her vision going white as her arms collapse under her, with a ringing in her ears. “Fuck.” She breathes out, her entire body shuddering with the strength of her orgasm.

 

Dean smiles smugly at her litany of curses as he continues to thrust against her through her aftershocks until she’s completely spent. When she falls limp he adjusts himself and grabs the towel from his bag to cover the front seat.

 

“Babe?” Dean calls to her as he moves back to the backseat.

 

Lilly moans as she moves her head and lazily attempts to sit, but fails. 

 

Dean snickers as he pulls her from the back seat and sets her upfront. He kisses her temple as he reaches across to buckle her back in.

 

Lilly can’t help the stupid smile on her face as she looks at Dean and nuzzles against him. “Love you.”

 

“Love you too, you little brat.” Dean chuckles before he shuts her door.

 

Lilly can’t help the satisfied smirk as she curls up into a ball in the front seat. She was asleep before he even pulled back out onto the road.

 

73

 

Sam pulls his attention from his computer when he hears a car coming down the drive. He glances out the window and when he sees Mae’s white car instantly jumps to his feet before he races out of the room; certain he’d never been happier at the thought of the big’s coming back. He runs down the stairs into the kitchen. He rushes to open the door to the garage; his face instantly falling when he sees Lilly curled in Dean’s arms. “Why is she sleeping?” He finds himself asking before he can stop himself.

 

Dean furrows his brow. “Hello to you too.” He shakes his head as he steps around Sam. “Hey Cass.” 

 

Castiel looks up from his book and frowns when he sees Lilly in Dean’s arms. “Can you wake her up?” 

 

Dean tilts his head. “What’s with you two?”

 

“There was an incident that involved Mae having a bad reaction to Sam eating her.” Castiel states as he stands up.

 

Sam groans. “Don’t say it like that Cass.” He breathes out.

 

Dean stares between Castiel and his brother blankly. “What?” Before either can say anything he continues. “I was gone like eight hours guys.”

 

Sam shifts. “Right. Sorry.” He frowns. “But can I wake her up?”

 

“You do realise she hasn’t slept in like over a day right?” Dean glares. “Do you know how much work it took to get her to sleep.”

 

“But, I-,” Sam takes a deep breath as he puts his hands on his hips, “I don’t know what to do Dean.” He admits with a frown, looking lost. 

 

Dean sighs. He couldn’t not help his little brother. “Okay, hold on. What the hell happened.”

 

“Mae and I were, you know, and then she started freaking out and thought she was with Lillith.” Sam frowns. “Castiel showed up and put her to sleep, but she was really bad man. I don’t know what to do. I’ve been like researching and shit on PTSD but-”

 

“Sammy. You need to calm down. You can’t help her if you’re freaking out too.” Dean shakes his head. This sounded like the shit he went through with hell. Still went through at times. He cured it with alcohol, but he wasn’t sure that was going to work for Mae.

 

“Do you know what to do Dean?” Castiel asks with a frown. “I can get rid of the memories but she told me she didn’t want me to take them. And I don’t understand why Sam was eating her.”

 

Dean tilts his head at Castiel. “He was eating her out Cass, he wasn’t hurting her.”

 

Lilly makes a noise as she opens one eye and looks around in confusion at the loud voices. “Hmm?”

 

“Oh Lilly, thank god you’re awake. We need your help.” Sam breaths out in relief.

 

Lilly lifts her head as she turns to look at Sam in confusion. “What?” She frowns as she blinks and wipes at her eyes. 

 

“Mae freaked out and I didn’t know what to do, and I’m afraid to touch her right now because I don’t want to hurt her.”

 

“He was eating her though.” Castiel adds.

 

Lilly blinks as she stares at Sam and the angel. “Like out?” She asks with confusion.

 

Dean rolls his eyes. “Yeah Lilly. Cass will get it eventually.”

 

Lilly turns to look up at Dean and nods before she points to the floor. “Down.” She yawns.

 

Dean sets her on her feet. “I was trying to tell Sammy to calm the fuck down.”

 

“Yeah. That ain’t helpin’ shit kiddo.” Lilly rubs her eyes. “She just had an episode. She’ll be fine after she figures out where she is. Ya just gotta wait them out.” She yawns again.  

 

“How do I make sure I don’t do that to her again?” The sites he was finding were overwhelming. He really wished he thought to look this up before they’d tried having sex again.

 

Lilly blinks. “You and I are gonna have some uncomfortable conversations.” She grumbles. “Sorry. Lilith thought it would be cute to force her to come.” She rubs her eyes. “Mostly through oral. You can’t help how your body responds to that shit.”

 

Sam frowns. This wasn’t a conversation he really wanted to have in the kitchen with an angel and his brother watching him. “I know that, I uh-”

 

“If you knew that why were you down there?” Lilly frowns in confusion as she rubs her eyes and leans against Dean.

 

“I mean I know you can’t help how your body reacts.” Sam blushes.

 

“Oh. Well it’s hard for rape survivors to separate the two.” Lilly frowns. “You’re just gonna have to take it slow. I’d be careful about flicking her clit with your tongue anytime soon.” She yawns. “Or using knife hilts if that was something you kids were into.” She adds as she blinks. “Tea parties. Dress up. Baths. White. Lace.” She adds. “Though to be fair to Mae there’s no guarantee any of those are actually ya know, gonna trigger something. It’s a slow-” She yawns. “Process. It’s gonna take time. And as much as your gonna hate this neither of you will know what’s gonna trigger it til ya step on a mine.” She adds as she wipes the tears of exhaustion from under her eyes.

 

The color drains from Sam’s face. He and Mae had talked about what Lilith had done to her, but she was always clinical about it; she discussed it as if it had happened to someone else. Had they gotten intimate again to fast? “We shouldn’t have tried again so soon.”

 

Lilly shakes her head. “Ya jus’ gotta talk to her Sammy, that’s all. She’s gonna be upset if you pull away. Nut up, kiddo. If she can live through it, you can fuck her through it.” 

 

Castiel frowns. “Is it that a good idea to-”

 

“S’not literal sweetheart.” Lilly shakes her head. “I jus’ mean he can’t stop touchin’ her cause of this.” She turns back to Sam. “Listen bro, you’re just gonna have to talk her through the memories. Its gonna suck. I ain’t sayin’ it won’t, but not touchin’ her is jus’ gonna make her feel like more of a fuck up.”

 

Sam frowns. “She’s not a fuck up.” He would never want her to think that. He sighs as he runs tense hands through his hair.

 

“I didn’t say she was.” Lilly yawns as she looks at him. She tilts her head to the side when she notices his eyes watering. “No. None of that. You do that with her.” She waves her hand lazily.  “You let her know that’s how ya feel. Ya talk ta her. Ya support her.”

 

Sam nods. 

 

Lilly turns back to the angel. “Ya put her ta sleep right?” She asks.

 

Castiel looks down at his feet. “Yes. She prayed for my help.”

 

“Alright. Go wake her up. The little’s need ta talk about what happened. And for the record. Oral sex is amazing for both men and women regardless of how cannibalistic it looks. ”

 

Castiel nods. “I see. It is an enjoyable experience of a sexual nature.”

 

“Very.” Lilly hums. “You ever get yourself a lady friend you go down there and go to town.” She nods.

 

“And that’s it for Lilly, she clearly needs sleep.” Dean shakes his head as he picks her up.

 

“Wha? No. I’m fine.” Lilly denies as she nuzzles against him and curls into a ball. “More questions?” She asks in confusion. 

 

Dean nods to Sam and Castiel. “Good luck. Let me know if you need my help, but I’m taking this one to bed. We’re leaving in the morning.”

 

“Wait. Did you get the colt?” Sam asks, feeling guilty that he hadn’t asked yet.

 

“Oh now you care.” Dean grumbles with a shake of his head. “Yes. We did.” 

 

Lilly stretches with a sudden epiphany as she leans over Dean’s shoulder to look at Castiel. “Sorry.” She yawns. “If it’s dick you're into, ya suck it. I know it’s called a blow job, but it’s sucking…” She narrows her eyes. “But stay away from Dean’s. That’s my dick ta suck.” 

 

Dean shakes his head and turns to head up the stairs. “Say goodnight Lilly.”

 

Lilly turns to look up at Dean in confusion. “Good night Lilly...”

 

Castiel frowns as he looks to Sam. “Does she really believe I am interested in Dean for sexual purposes?”

 

Sam shakes his head. “I don’t even wanna hazard a guess man.” 

 

“Are you ready to talk to Mae?” Castiel asks after a few moments.

 

Sam frowns. Lilly had been like sleep drunk. Was he really going to take her advice? He shakes his head. “Yeah.” He sighs as he runs his hand through his hair.  

 

Castiel nods as he follows Sam up the stairs.

 

Sam opens the door to his room and walks in to sit next to Mae on the bed.

 

Castiel walks over and places her hand on her forehead. “I’m waking her now.” He warns.

 

Sam nods. “Uh- Thanks for the help man.”

 

Castiel looks to Sam and just nods. “Lilly was not unhelpful, but I think I’m going to go back to finish that book, just in case.” When Mae begins moving under his hand he lifts it before he flaps out of the room.

 

Mae mumbles before she sits up and opens her eyes.

 

Sam’s eyes sweep over Mae as he stays still, pushing down his urge to hold her. “Hey baby. It’s okay. You’re at Mystic. Everything’s okay.” He breathes attempting to keep his tone as even as he can.

 

Mae clutches the blanket in her hands as she looks around the room before her eyes land on Sam sitting next to her. “Sam? What, what happened?”

 

Sam smiles brightly, his hazel eyes bright with unshed tears as he leans forward and pulls her to his chest. “I messed up. We were having sex and…” He trails off as he watches her closely, concern for her reflecting in his eyes. “You thought you were with Lilith.”

 

Mae reaches up to touch his face. “Oh. I- I thought that was a nightmare.” She frowns.

 

Sam frowns as he reaches up and grasps her wrist lightly, and squeezes it gently. “Fraid not.” He sighs. “I was trying to make you feel as good as you had made me feel, and I guess it triggered something.” He admits with a frown.  

 

Mae lets out a sigh and pulls her knees up to her chest. “I thought I was better. I’m sorry.”

 

Sam gently picks her up and sets her on his lap. “You are doing a lot better baby, you are. It’s jus’ gonna take time. We’ll get through this. There’s nothin’ for you to apologize for.” He assures her as he pulls her into a hug and kisses her temple. 

 

Mae wraps her arms around Sam’s neck and holds herself to him tightly. She could feel how sad and worried he was. She just wanted to be normal for him. She was surprised when a tear splashed down onto his chest. She hadn’t cried about this in a while.

 

Sam sighs as he rubs his chin over her hair. “It’s okay baby, I have you know. She can’t get to you anymore.” He assures her as he nuzzles into her, squeezing her tightly, before he pulled her back to wipe her tears away. “We’ll get through this together baby. I know we will. You don’t have to do this alone baby.” He adds as he gives her a small reassuring smile. 

 

“Okay…” Mae frowns. He wasn’t running from her, or disgusted by her. He was staying with her, was willing to work with her. More tears flow from her eyes.

 

“Baby.” Sam frowns as he wipes the new tears away too. “Do you wanna talk? Imma a good listener? Or do you wanna just lay here? I’m fine with either. I don’t mind.” 

 

Mae smiles. “I love you.” She wraps her arms around him again as she presses herself as close to him as she can.

 

“I love you too, baby.” Sam whispers against her temple as he wrapped his arms around her tighter. “You’re my whole world. I can’t promise that something like this will never happen again…” He admits, his voice breaking. “But I can promise that I’ll always do everything in my power to get you back, and that’ll always be there to help you through this shit. That you’ll never have to do this alone.”

 

Mae pulls back enough to look up into his eyes. She pulls him down to kiss him softly. “You really promise?”

 

“I absolutely promise.” Sam whispers against her lips before he places a chaste kiss on her lips. “Whenever you need me.”  

 

“Thank you.” Mae nuzzles her head against him.

 

“Any time princess.” Sam smiles at her as he runs a hand through her hair gently.

 

“Can, can we just lay here for a little?” Mae asks after a moment.

 

“Whatever you need baby.” Sam smiles at her as he adjusts so she could lay on top of him. His hands firmly wrapped around her.

 

Mae pouts. “You’re wearing clothes.”

 

Sam chuckles lightly. “I thought you wanted to lay for a while. I can get undressed, but I’ll have to get up.”

 

Mae nods. “I want to feel your hands on my skin and be able to touch you too.”

 

Sam smiles as he kisses her forehead before he gently moves her on to the bed. “I’mma shut the door okay? I need this. I’m sorry.” He breathes as he kisses her temple, before he straightens and walks to the door, shutting it, and locking it for good measure. He strips down and joins her back on the bed. He tenderly picks her up and moves the comforter so they can lay beneath it before he crawls back under the comforters sorting her so she could lay her head over his heart once more. “That better?” He asks.

 

Mae nods and sighs in contentment. “Yes.” She moves one hand up to run through his hair, letting it stay twined around her fingers.

 

“Good.” Sam smiles as he goes back to softly rubbing her back with one hand, and brushing his fingers through her hair with the other. He watches her with a small smile.

 

“I don’t want to stop trying.” Mae admits after several minutes.

 

“I’m willing to keep trying baby if that’s what you want.” Sam assures her softly. He’d waited for Lilly’s advice on baited breath. He’d be an idiot not to follow it. “We’ll just take it a bit slower, though I’ll admit that’s more for me than you.” He adds sheepishly.

 

Mae pouts.

 

Sam chuckles as he continues playing with her hair. “But we’ll still keep at it, I promise.” He assures her.

 

“Okay. I’ll try to let you know if-” Mae tries for a moment to find the right word, but shrugs and continues. “Whatever that was, starts to happen again, or if I’m scared.”

 

“Alright.” Sam nods. “But if you can’t and it happens again, that’s okay too. We’ll keep working on it until you’re where you want to be.”

 

“And you’re sure you’re okay?” Mae asks softly.

 

“I’m positive.” Sam shakes his head at her ridiculous question. “Are you?” He asks with frown. 

 

Mae presses her lips to his chest and smiles. “I think I will be.”

 

“I promise I’ll be there with you every step of the way through this…” Sam trails off. “Except for your sessions with Maat.”

 

Mae tilts her head to the side and looks up at him. “Would you want to come with me?”

 

Sam closes his mouth and pulls a face at thought of the goddess becoming their sex counselor. “If you want me too, I will.”

 

Mae frowns. “Not yet, but it’s nice to know you would if I asked you too.”

 

Sam smiles. “Whatever you need baby, I’ll do it.”

 

“I’m sorry I ruined our good time earlier.” Mae apologizes with a frown before she continues with a small smile, “That was really hot.”

 

“That’s nothing to be sorry for baby.” Sam assures her. “We can try it again if you want too.”

 

“I don’t want to scare you twice in one night.” 

 

“Do you want to try right now?” Sam asks in surprise as he studies her closely.

 

Mae purses her lips. “Maybe I could finish what I started.”

 

Sam chuckles. “Unless this is going to be a two way deal, I’ll pass. We’re here until tomorrow. Maybe we can try in the morning?”

 

“Deal.” Mae leans forward and kisses him.

 

Sam smiles as he turns the kiss into something deeper, more passionate before he breaks the kiss. “There. A preview for tomorrow.” He grins at her.

 

“You like kissing me dumb.” Mae accuses breathlessly.

 

“I really do.” Sam admits with a lazy shrug.

 

74

 

Dean walks into the kitchen the next morning to the scent of vanilla and fruit baking in the oven. “Hey babe. You’re up early.” He  greets with a smile.

 

Lilly looks up from the the island where she was mixing medicine. “Yeah. I wasn’t sure when we were heading out.” She nods. “Good morning.” She adds with a smile.   

 

Dean walks up behind her to wrap an arm around her waist. “Good morning.” 

 

Lilly purrs as she leans into him. “Thanks for last night. I don’t think I’ve slept that well in a while.” She mumbles as she nuzzles against his chest.

 

Dean smirks and presses a kiss to her throat. “I aim to please.” He chuckles before he walks over to start coffee.

 

Lilly smiles as she watches him walk away before she turns back to the herbs, resuming her humming.

 

“You talk to Cass about sex often?” Dean asks as he sets the coffee maker.

 

“When he asks.” Lilly nods, before she stops and looks over to him. “Why?” 

 

Dean shrugs. “You were just really open with him and Sam last night.”

 

Lilly’s brows furrow together in confusion.

 

“When we got home.” Dean prompts after a few moments.

 

“I was sleeping.” Lilly frowns as she continues preparing the ointment she was working on.

 

“Well, yeah. But Sam was kinda freaking out and begging me to wake you up because he wanted your help and you just kinda popped up.” Dean walks forward to lean on the island across from her.

 

Lilly shrugs her lips pursed as she tried to recall last night. “Last thing I remember from last night was a very satisfying orgasm.” 

 

Dean snickers. “So good I blew your mind. Fucking awesome.” He smiles over at her.

 

Lilly pouts at him. “Don’t let it go to your head Cowboy.”

 

“Too late.” Dean growls before he pushes back off the island.

 

Lilly smiles at him. “Was it helpful at least?”

 

“What you told Sam?”

 

Lilly nods. “I mean if he was like that, I imagine it must’ve been pretty bad to lower himself ta asking’ for my help with Mae.”

 

Dean frowns. “Mae had an episode and Sam was afraid he was going to hurt her. So he wanted your help.”

 

“Oh.” Lilly frowns as she thinks about that. If he hurt her she’d hurt him. She sighs remembering Mae’s episodes after John had rescued her, her subsequent boyfriends. She’d nearly hobbled the second one when she caught him running away from her.

 

“He tried to research how to help her, but he wanted to know what you thought he should do.” Dean explains.

 

“Ah. Smart kid.” Lilly breathes as she shakes her head. Mae could be very sensitive.

 

“He can be sometimes.” Dean nods. “I’m a little worried about her myself.” He admits after a few moments.

 

“Mae’ll be fine.” Lilly comments with a dismissive wave of her hand. 

 

“I just, can’t get your description of her from the future out of my head.” Dean sighs.

 

Lilly looks up with a frown, before she tilts her head towards the bag with the colt and bullets in it she’d found on the table. “We’re already adjusting. Making changes. It won’t be a problem because we won’t let it happen.” 

 

Dean slides a hand across the island and takes her hand. “Yes. I know we are. But I’m me, and I worry. It’s how I keep my family alive and together.”

 

Lilly looks up at him as she squeezes his hand. “We’ll figure this out Tex, no worries.” She says softly, though she’d be a liar if she said she didn’t have her own concerns. 

 

Dean nods. “On a lighter note. You are hilarious when sleep deprived.”

 

Lilly tilts her head a small pout on her lips. “Incorrect. I’m always hilarious.” Her eyes sparkling with amusement as she thought of the road head last night.

 

Dean raises an eyebrow at her. “I don’t think you can top telling Cass if he gets a lady friend that he needs to get down there and go to town. Or when you told him that a blowjob is deceptive, you suck the dick.”

 

Lilly frowns, “Well it’s true.” She frowns. “Blow jobs are deceptive.”

 

“And then you told him to stay away from mine.” Dean chuckles.

 

“And he should.” Lilly says with a pointed look before she giggles. 

 

Dean shakes his head. “What is it with you and freaking out on angels and monsters?”

 

“I don’t know Dean, between you and Mae it’s h ard to keep track of what’s tryna get a piece.” Lilly shakes her head. “Constant vigilance, Dean.” She chuckles as she pulls her hand back to continue working on the ointment.

 

“You’re so weird. Ain’t nothing getting a piece of her.” Dean shakes his head and turns at the ding from the coffee maker. “And you’re the only one getting any of this.” He smiles as he goes to pour himself a cup of coffee.

 

“Mhmm.” Lilly nods looking thoroughly unconvinced.  _ Bullshit. _ Though it wasn’t like she hadn’t had to deal with shit like that since Mae and her hit seventh grade. Now the anti had just upped, and monsters were involved and she had another person to be on the lookout for.  Stupid sirens. Though she found it funny in a morbid way that either way, it was men she had to be cautious of, but she ever found a bitch so much more than look at Dean, she’d knock a cunt out. She shook her head as she rid herself of those thoughts. She didn’t need to be malicious while making medicine, gods only knew what effect that would have on the salves.

 

A few moments later Castiel walks into the room, seemingly on high alert. “Good morning Dean and Lilly.” He greets before he leans back against the wall.

 

“Mornin’ Cass.” Dean nods at him.

 

“Sup?” Lilly greets, before she turns back to the medicine. She pauses though and looks back up and studies him for a moment. “Cass.” She says softly, trying to reign in her amusement.

 

“Yes?”

 

“I know you're worried, but what you're doing is considered voyeurism. They’ll work it out.” Lilly says carefully.

 

“I cannot help my hearing.” Castiel informs her with narrowed eyes.

 

Lilly nose crinkles. “I know buddy, but…” She shakes her head. “You usually don’t actively listen.”  

 

“She was stuck with Lilith last night and screaming in prayer for my help. I was not aware that she had prayed for me.” Castiel sighs. “I do not know how to help.”

 

Lilly frowns at that. “Fair enough.” She sighs as she turns to back to her medicine. “Just, let her know if she ever needs to talk, you’ll listen. You’re not gonna be able to physically help her with this. None of us can but Samsquatch.”

 

Dean walks over and puts a hand on Castiel’s shoulder. “But, you know Mae. Give her hugs or mess with her hair. ” He musses Castiel’s hair as an example. “She’s affectionate, ya know. Just treat her like you always do.”

 

Lilly chuckles at Dean’s advice and nods. He wasn’t wrong. “She’s always been a touchy person. It would hurt her if ya stopped. The worst thing you can do is treat her like she’ll break at a sneeze. She’ll deal with being left out of loops well enough. It’s the not being willing to touch her, she’ll get upset about.”

 

Castiel reaches his hand up to fix his hair with a small smile. “Very well. I will continue to treat her like I always have. But I would still like to learn more about PTSD. The book I found was very helpful.”

 

“I have several. Not sure which you read but I can pull them out for you.” Lilly offers with an encouraging smile. “Oh. And if your interest a still have a couple books Tony gave me through the years about love and sex.”

 

“Yes.” Castiel pushes off the wall. “I believe that would be helpful as well. Sam was very distressed when I believed he was trying to eat Mae. I understand now that it was a sexual act intended to bring pleasure, but it was a very unpleasant experience for Mae.”

 

“Only because of what Lilith did though. She used to love the shit outta it before.” Lilly frowns as she gives a shrug. “When I’m finished here I’ll round them up for ya, like I’ve told you before your welcome to any of our books.”’

 

Castiel nods. “Thank you for your assistance Lilly.”

 

Dean shakes his head and sits at the table with his coffee. You just never knew what topics were going to be discussed in this house.

 

Lilly nods and shoots Castiel a small smile before she turns back to the mix in the mortar.

 

They all stay working or thinking about their own thoughts when the oven dings. “Dean, can you pull the danishes out please?”

 

“Yep.” Dean jumps up at the chance to help, and perhaps change the topic. “So, danishes huh? They smell fucking awesome.”

 

Lilly smiles as she looks at Dean. “I should’ve known you were a sweets in the morning person.” She shakes her head.

 

Dean’s eyes widen as he pulls the trays out of the oven. “Oh my gods, they look like little pies!” He exclaims excitedly. 

 

Lilly giggles at his reaction. “They’re a thank you for last night. I was being a bit bitchy. Sorry.”

 

Dean pulls her into a surprise hug and kisses her soundly before putting her back on her feet. “Cass, wanna try one?”

 

“I do not-” Castiel frowns as he sniffs. “Are they like the crepes?” 

 

“Kinda.” Lilly nods. “But there hot-” She suddenly turns to Dean. “DEAN! You put that down right now!” She scolds sternly as she points at him angrily. “That filling is going to burn off yer damn tastebuds off, you fuckin’ child!” 

 

Dean pouts and puts the danish back on the tray. “But they smell so awesome.” He crosses his arms over his chest.

 

“Five minutes Dean. Five minutes.” Lilly grumbles as she walks over to wash the herbs off her fingers.

 

“Can’t we put them on a cooling rack or something.” Dean pleads. He was hungry, and wanted breakfast pie.

 

Lilly rolls her eyes as she bends down and pulls out their cooling racks and goes over to the trays. “You sit!” She snaps at Dean.

 

Castiel chuckles as Dean walks off and takes a seat at the table again. He walks over and grabs a danish off the tray and takes a bite.

 

“That’s what I like to call a dick move, Cass.” Lilly mumbles as she shakes her head. 

 

Dean turns back to look at the two of them and points at Castiel. “You ass. That’s not fair. Those are my pies.”

 

“You aren’t gonna be able to eat all of them anyways.” Lilly sighs as she moves the last one to the cooling rack.

 

“But I was gonna get the first one.”

 

“You’ll get the second.” Lilly sighs as she moves three to a plate and walks over to the freezer and slips it in. “You’re so ridiculous.” She sighs.

 

“These are delicious Lilly.” Castiel quietly comments.

 

“You’re welcome.” Lilly shakes her head. “I see you're picking up on our traits, there Cass. That was mean.” She chuckles.

 

“I was not intending to be mean.” Castiel frowns down at the last bite of his danish. “I wanted one and the hot fruit would not damage my tastebuds.”

 

Lilly pats his arm, he was like a giant child. “I know, but Dean really wanted one too and that shit’s like magma to him. It was kind of taunting, and now he’s pouting.” 

 

“Oh.” Castiel looks over to Dean. “Sorry Dean. I didn’t mean to taunt.”

 

“Whatever.” Dean grumbles.

 

Lilly pulls the danishes out of the freezer and touches the center of one, finding it still warm but not ‘I-won’t-be-able-to-taste-anything-for-a-fucking-week’ hot; and pulls the plate out. She sighs as she walks over to Dean and puts the plate down. “He wasn’t trying to be a dick Dean.” She reprimands.

 

Dean snatches up a strawberry danish and takes a big bite, making noises of approval before he smiles up at her. “These are amazing. I’m never eating those stupid packaged ones again.”

 

Lilly shakes her head as she kisses his temple. She was surrounded by children. She sighs before she walks back to the island and resumes her task of making medicine.

 

“Sam and Mae are going to be joining us.” Castiel says a few minutes later, interrupting the silence.

 

Lilly nods as she begins moving the salve into jars. She understood he was just trying to be helpful, but this was bordering on ridiculous. It was barely ten in the morning and she found her patience nearly depleted. She sighs as she moves to the next balm. She only had two more ointments to make then she could pack.  _ Shit.  _ “Uh Dean babe… When are we leaving?” She asks curiously.

 

Dean shakes his head. “As soon as we’re all ready.”

 

“So, I have how long to pack?” Lilly questions curiously, as she chops up peppermint.

 

These felt like loaded questions. “How long do you need Lilly?”

 

“I think it would be easier if you just gave me a parameter…” Lilly admits with a frown.

 

“I’d like to be on the road by noon.” Dean 

 

Lilly curses. “Cool, I can do that.” She looks at Castiel. “How are you at following instructions?”

 

Castiel’s eyes narrow slightly at the implication that he might not be able to follow orders. “I am an angel of the lord Lilly. I excel at following instructions.”

 

“Great. How bout reading my handwriting?” Lilly asks with a sheepish grin.

 

“I have learned to decipher your writing. Mae helped.” Castiel admits slowly.

 

“Awesome. Can you finish these?” She asks as she pulls out recipe cards and hands them to him.

 

Castiel takes the cards and reads over them. “Yes, but I will not be able to infuse the rituals like you do.”

 

“It’s fine. I already blessed the herbs. There’s only two left.” Lilly grins. “Imma go start packing, and pull those books for you.” She says before she races and grabs a cooling rack of danishes before she races out of the room.

 

Castiel puts the cards down and picks up the knife Lilly had dropped on the cutting board as he steps in to finish making the medicine.

 

Dean chuckles. He’d never seen Lilly leave anything for the last minute. It was kind of refreshing to see that she even she could fall victim so procrastination. He sighs as he starts on his last danish before he pauses. What was she packing?

 

Sam and Mae walk down the stairs together. “Where was Lilly running off to?” Mae asks when she sees Dean and Castiel.

 

“She forgot to pack.” Dean sighs as he takes a bite of his danish. “I told her I wanted to be on the road by noon.”

 

“That was your question? I wanted to know where she was taking the tray of, what were they, danishes?” Sam teases as he grabs a cup of coffee.

 

Dean pouts. “She took a tray of danishes?” He grumbles as he looks to the counter noticing only three trays remaining with a frown. 

 

Mae shrugs. “I knew what she was doing with those.” 

 

“What?” Sam asks with a frown. “She wasn’t going to eat them all right? She’d explode.”

 

“No.” Mae giggles. “She’s putting out offerings for Thoth and Maat. Oh, and maybe Sekhmet.

 

“Who the fuck is Sekhmet?” Sam frowns. There was another one? Was there going to be a third god just popping up now?

 

“She’s like a warrior healer Egyptian goddess.”

 

Castiel tilts his head. Well that explained how Dean had been healed so quickly after Alastair. He frowns feeling a tightening in his chest. He’d felt really bad that he couldn’t heal Dean after that particular incident. He continues looking over the instructions as he continued with his assigned task. 

 

Mae glances over at Castiel in shock. Was he feeling guilty? Or was it is jealousy? Maybe both. It was hard to tell. It was a new feeling from him.

 

Dean and Sam both groan as they share a look. “Why?” Dean asks with a frown.

 

“Hmmm?” Mae turns from her contemplation of Castiel. “Why what?”

 

“Isn’t that like god cheating or something?” Dean asks with a frown.

 

“Same pantheon.” Mae shrugs before she thinks for a moment. “Though they haven’t cared that she leaves desserts for Loki sometimes.”

 

Sam’s face pulls in disgust, but after his and Mae’s recent conversation he supposed it made sense.

 

“What kind of desserts?” Dean frowns as he pins Mae with a look.

 

“She makes brownies a lot.” Mae smiles.

 

“She makes me eat brownies a lot, and watches me eat them.” Castiel frowns. “Usually at three in the morning.”

 

“I get mad at her if she eats too much chocolate.” Mae admits.

 

Dean lifts a brow at that. He knew he’d seen Lilly eat chocolate. She did not share her stash either, instead he’d found his own in his dresser the next time he’d gotten back from a hunt. And why the fuck was she force feeding the angel brownies and not him? 

 

“You get mad at Lilly?” Sam questions skeptically.  _ Bullshit.  _ He thinks as he walks over and picks up two danishes and hands the strawberry one to Mae. Was he going to have to start making breakfast now? He frowned. It was kinda nice always having food made for him. 

 

Mae looks down at the icing ribbons over the red strawberry filling. “I had to stab her with an epipen. I never want to do that again.” She shakes her head, “Stitching her up I can handle, but I can not stab her with an epipen. No. That was a huge needle.” She narrows her eyes at Sam’s skeptical face, “She ate all the chocolate in her bag one Halloween because she was afraid that the adults were going to take it away from her. She couldn’t breath, it was terrifying. So I get mad. I never want to see her like that again.”

 

“How old were you two?” Sam asks confused. He had a hard time picturing that for some reason. He scrunches his nose. No, actually the more he thought about it, he didn’t. Lilly had ridiculous will power but very low self control. He vaguely remembered them telling them that she had a chocolate allergy, but recalled her emphasizing how slight the allergy was.

 

“I had just turned ten, so she was twelve.” Mae frowns before she takes a bite of her danish and smiles.

 

“Huh.” Dean frowns as he thinks about her stash and silent sneaking three am brownies. Was she afraid of Mae or something? He looks at Mae and shakes his head. He just couldn’t see it, but it looked like they were going to be having a conversation any ways; feeding the damn angel delicious brownies, and she was the one acting huffy? _I don’t think so._ He crosses his hands over his chest as he growls and glares at Castiel. Danish eating bastard.

 

Mae suddenly looks up at Dean. That was jealousy. What the heck was going on today. With a small frown she turns to look at Sam. He wasn’t jealous. He was in a really good mood. “Is everyone okay?”

 

Castiel nods.

 

“I’m fine.” Dean grumbles as he pushes off the table to get another danish.

 

“Uh huh…” Mae watches him wearily as he walks past her.

 

“So, her allergy is that bad huh?” Sam asks with a frown ignoring his brother.

 

“It was really bad when we were kids. It’s better now, but she still has an epipen. My dad’s office keeps her stocked with one.” Mae explains as before she finishes up her pastry.

 

Sam nods as he goes back to eating his danish. “If we’re leaving at noon I think we should make sure you’ve got all your stuff ready to go.”

 

Mae nods before she rushes over to grab another danish. “My bag is in my room. But I wanted to grab a few things from my workroom. Do you think I could bring a couple of small plants with me?”

 

“How many are a couple?” Sam asks with a frown.

 

Mae holds her hands up in front of her to indicate the size of a medium window planter.

 

Sam looks to Dean. 

 

“Just don’t get dirt all over baby.” Dean sighs. 

 

Mae yips and rushes over to hug Dean.

 

“Yeah, yeah. No dirt in my car.” Dean rolls his his eyes as he musses her hair. “I don’t care bout the motel, but Lilly might.”

 

“I’ll be very careful Dean. I promise.” Mae kisses his cheek before she rushes over to the pantry.

 

75

 

At noon everyone but Lilly was ready, bags at their feet next to where they were all waiting for Castiel to bring them to the impala.

 

“I’m kinda worried about her.” Mae whispers to Sam. 

 

“Why?” Sam asks with a frown as he wraps an arm around her shoulders.

 

“I honestly feel like she thought you guys were going to leave us here to go fight the devil now that you guys have the colt.” Mae admits. “Lilly really doesn’t travel.”

 

Sam thinks about that for a moment. He knew that she was aware why they were leaving better than even he did, and he doubted that she didn’t understand. However he couldn’t argue with Mae on the traveling aspect. He knew how much the short girl loathed the idea of leaving their home. He turns to look at his brother. “Dean, maybe you should go make sure Lilly’s okay.”

 

Dean nods. “Yeah. That’s probably a…” He walks over to the stairs. “Lilly? You need some help?” He calls up.

 

“One minute, almost done!” They all hear Lilly call back.

 

Dean smiles. “See, she’s good. Nothing to worry about.”

 

“I don’t know Dean, it was one thing when it was an on the fly thing.” Mae bites her lip as she looks out to the foyer in concern. “But Lilly packing for a known trip… I’m actually a little afraid.” She responds softly, she wasn’t trying to be mean, but Lilly had never done well in the past, and that was just the idea of leaving.

 

“Should I be helping her pack?” Dean asks in concern his head tilting to look up in the direction where he assumed Lilly was. He really hadn’t wanted to get in her way, he thought she’d prefer the space.

 

“Maybe one of us should? I mean, really it’s anyone's guess at this point what she’s packing.” Mae responds hesitantly.

 

“Is she really that bad, she’s twenty seven. I’m sure she’ll be fine guys.” Sam comments as he pulls Mae back to him. Though to be honest, at their concern he was starting to worry. 

 

Castiel frowns as he looks up at the ceiling after he hears her cursing.  “I will go assist her.” He sighs as he pushes off the wall and disappears up the stairs. She’d seemed fine earlier when she had thanked him and quickly packed rather large first aid kit.

 

They all hear a heavy thunk reverberating from above them.

 

Dean curses under his breath as he pushes off the wall and runs up the stairs. 

 

Sam looks down at Mae. “That sounded heavy.”

 

Mae just nods. “Yep.” She really couldn’t complain though. Sam and Dean had told her she could bring a window planter with her. She had a small bag of seeds to practice growing, and she hoped that she’d be able to practice her other abilities. She taps her bag with her foot, happy she had found her mother’s journal.

 

Castiel appears in the living room with a tower of books in his hands as he sets them down on the table with a small smile. “They’re coming down now.” He informs the littles.

 

Mae looks at the pile of books. “What are those for?”

 

“Lilly offered me reading material.” Castiel smiles. “She was gathering the books I could not collect from her room.”

 

Mae nods as her eyes wander over the spines. She smiles. Lilly was giving Castiel her books about human psychology and relationships. 

 

Sam sighs in relief. He thought that pile was coming with them. “Was she okay?” He asks.

 

Castiel nods. “She claims to be done with packing. She is just tying up a few loose ends. Though I did not see any strings attached to the phone.”

 

“Do you know what that concerning noise was?” Sam prompts with a frown.

 

“She fell from the top of her bookshelf.” Castiel frowns. “While getting me the last of the books.”

 

Sam quickly covers his mouth to hide his amusement. “I see.” He nods.

 

“Okay. We’re ready.” Dean huffs as he walks down the stairs carrying two surprisingly normal sized backpacks. He wasn’t sure what the fuck she’d managed to stuff in them, but they were heavier than they fucking looked that was damn sure. 

 

“Yeah I think I got everything.” Lilly adds with a weak smile as she gripped the straps of the two backpacks she had slung on her shoulders. Her eyes looking to each bag with a frown. It was too late to double check anyways, and besides worse case scenario she could always ask Thoth to pick up anything she’d forgotten.

 

Mae bends and grabs her duffle bag. “We’re ready too.” She smiles as Sam grabs his bag and takes her hand before pulling her close to him. 

 

Sam, with difficulty, refrains from chuckling, at Lilly looking very much like a turtle. “Ok then, we’re all ready to go.” He turns, effectively hiding his smile as he looks to Castiel. “One trip or two?” He asks with a frown. 

 

Castiel looks at Lilly’s bags with a frown. He could feel the magic radiating from them. “Two is safest.”

 

“Do you think you packed enough stuff babe?” Dean teases ruffling her hair, readjusting the heavy backpacks, before he bent to pick up his own duffle bag.

 

“No. No I actually don’t.” Lilly scoffs, blushing slightly. “But that’s beside the point, we don’t even know how long we’re going to be gone. Do you know how difficult it is to pack for an indefinite amount of tim-Actually nevermind I’m sure you do. But I don’t, so all of you can fuck off. ”

 

Castiel frowns as he takes Dean and Lilly by the shoulders. “I will return for you two.” He says before he flaps the bigs away.

 

Sam and Mae exchange a glance before they both burst out laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll have another chapter go up on Sunday, but until then don't forget to leave us your thoughts. We'd really like to hear your reactions to the story and any tips, ideas, encouragement or constructive critique. Lay it on us :)


	33. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brothers are leaving the bakers to their own devices in the hotel room, under strict orders, while they head out to investigate joke shop toys gone wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy :)

76

 

“So, we’re just staying in the motel room while you two go to joke shops, understood.” Lilly comments from where she is sitting on the freshly bed with an open book in one hand. It had only taken them two days to find a case, but she wasn’t all that surprised. They’d been foaming at the mouth almost the minute they’d settled into the Impala.

 

“We think it may be a witch turning toys into cursed objects.” Sam nods as he pulled his suit jacket up. He smiles as Mae smooths the wrinkles from his shoulders. “Just incase it isn’t, can you look into other options?” He asks her with a smile.

 

“Absolutely. I’ll get computers and Lilly will hit the books.” Mae agrees with a nod as she works Sam’s tie into order so it lays flat.

 

“Sure, no prob. I’m all about that book detail.” Lilly ardently nods with a dismissive wave of her hand. Her eyes never leaving the book Thoth had loaned her about theories behind blood related magic. After her and Dean’s discussion, she’d been interested in finding out if there was a connection between it and cutting, but so far she’d found no such connection, though the book was still interesting in its own right. 

 

“Thanks girls.” Dean says with a cute smile as he walks in from the bathroom. He grabs his tie from the pile at the foot of his bed and starts working it around his neck with some difficulty.

 

Mae tsks and walks over to help him. “Did you guys always use clip ons before or something?” Mae teases as she threads the tie into the proper knot. 

 

“Nothing wrong with clip ons.” Dean mumbles, rolling his eyes as he submits to Mae’s care.

 

“Incorrect.” Lilly states as she turns a page in her book. 

 

Mae giggles as she smooths Dean’s tie down before sliding a tie clip in place for him. “Done. You clean up so nice.” She grins at him.

 

“Thanks.” Dean grumbles as he ruffled her hair, blushing slightly. He quickly walks over to Lilly, plucking the book from her hands.

 

“Hey! What the hell Dean!” Lilly glares as she reaches for it. “Gimme that back!” She snaps.

 

“Uh uh.” Dean shakes his head. “Rules first both of you.”

 

Mae groans as she falls into the closest chair. 

 

“Seriously? We’re not children. ” Lilly scoffs as she falls backwards onto the bed, it was obvious he wasn’t going to just hand it to her, and if he crinkled a page that was on him.  

 

“Yeah, that was convincing adult behavior on both accounts.” Sam snarks, his tone losing its severity for Mae as he smiles in her direction.

 

“Don’t you have to go play make believe? Fuck off.” Lilly quips back with a frown.

 

“Hey, this is serious business.” Dean snaps at her.

 

“We stay in the room. We don’t leave the room for any reason other than an extreme emergency. If we have to leave the room, because of the extreme emergency, we call you and Cass immediately. We do not answer the door. We keep shotguns near us at all times. “ Mae ticks off on her fingers stoically.  

 

“I feel like this is a spiel for a ride. A very boring ride, like, it’s a small world or some shit.” Lilly grumbles. “We will keep our hands and feet inside the room at all times.” She comments robotically. “Book.” She says as she holds up her hand.

 

“Good enough.” Dean rolls his eyes before handing Lilly back the book.

 

“Uh huh. Good luck. Buh-bye.” Lilly comments as she sits back up and nestles against the bed rest to resume reading, grumbling when she has to find the right page and settles back where she’d left off.

 

“We’ll be back, call us if there’s an emergency.” Sam walks over to Mae and wraps his arms around her, pulling her close for a kiss. 

 

“We will.” Mae promises, breathless from his kiss.

 

Dean shakes his head on last time at Lilly before he kisses the top of her head. “Come on Sammy, we’re burning daylight.” He comments as he walks over to the door. 

 

“Love you.” Sam whispers before letting her go and following after Dean. “Coming.” He mumbles.

 

“Be safe.” Both girls call after them before the door clicks shut.

 

Mae frowns at the door waiting for several moments before she smiles and skips over to where she left her planter and mom’s journal on the table. 

 

She picks up the journal and skips to the page she had booked mark in the car and smiles as she reads over the carefully written instructions before she sets it down. She pulls out the bag of seeds and selects a few tiny peppermint seeds. “Hey Lilly. I’m gonna practice this and then I’ll start trying to look up cursed toys. Cool?” She says quickly.

 

Lilly looks up over her book. “Practice what Mae?” She asks with a raised brow.

 

“Making the seeds grow. I’m making a traveling herb garden for you.” Mae smiles as she points to the planter.

 

Lilly lowers her book, and rolls off the bed. “I wanna watch.” She smiles as she walks over to the table. She moves a chair with her foot and sits down before she turns back to her book. “Let me know when something happens.”

 

“According to mom it should happen pretty fast.” Mae explains excitedly. Now that she understood how to find and focus the energy, she was confident she could do it better than she had with Thoth or while at Bobby’s before she’d been taken.

 

Lilly lowers her book. Mae seemed pretty confident she could do this on the first try, and she wasn’t going to take that away from her. She just slightly doubted her ability to focus when she was this excited. “Let’s see it then.” She smiles as she gestures to the planter. 

 

Mae nods and takes a deep breath before she looks down at the tiny seeds in her hands. She waited until they felt warm in her palm. This was all familiar, what use to take forever and gave her a headache was feeling the energy in her and directing it towards the warmth. This time it was much easier, even natural. The seeds in her palm cracked open and sprouted. “Lilly!” She smiles and holds her hand up.

 

Lilly turns and looks at Mae with a frown when she sees the seed in her hand. “Neat.” She smiles as she looks at the small sprout. She’d been looking at the wrong thing, but she had thought Mae was trying something new. “That’s awesome Mae. That’s much quicker than last time.” She smiles.

 

“And I did it with more than just one.” Mae smiles. 

 

Lilly looks over the seeds in her palm. Mae had done six at once. “Very nice. You’ll be the envy of Poison Ivy soon.” She grins at her sister.

 

Mae grins. “It’s kinda cool.” She tilts her head and looks at the seeds again. “Wanna see if I can make them grow more?”

 

Lilly nods. “Hell yeah. Show me what ya got Harps.”

 

Mae settles back on the floor and closes her eyes. Her mother said eventually she would become familiar with how this felt, but at first it was just easier to shut out distractions. The tiny sprouts were already warm in her palm so she found her energy and pushed it towards them.

 

Lilly focuses on Mae’s palm with interest, watching as the plants swiftly grew in her sister’s palm with fascination. It was trippy watching it, like watching a timelapse video they used to show in science class but in real time. Her eyes sweep up to Mae’s face and she frowns when she sees a small trickle of blood starting to leak from her nose. “Mae. Stop.” She orders softly as she places the book on the table and moves behind Mae. 

 

Mae opens her eyes and smiles down at the six adolescent peppermint plants wrapped around her palm and wrist. “I did it.” She exclaims.

 

“Yes you did.” Lilly sighs as she steadies Mae’s shoulders. “But maybe next time you should grow one at a time.” 

 

Mae furrows her brow and looks up at Lilly. “Why?” She asks before she feels warmth run from her nose over her lip. “Oh.”

 

Lilly nods. “Oh.” She frowns. “We’ve got nothing better to do on this trans country journey Mae. That’s plenty of time to work on this.” She sighs. “But if you push yourself and pass out you're gonna get your fae privileges revoked. And I’m get yelled at for not callin’ them over it.”

 

“Okay.” Mae frowns. “I was just excited. But I’ll be more careful.”

 

“I know you were Harps.” Lilly smiles softly. “And you did an awesome job, but don’t push past your limits.”

 

“Thoth is going to be excited.” Mae leans forward to settle the plants on a paper plate. She works to untangle them from where it looked like they had hugged her wrist while growing. She lays the roots out carefully and pours some water from a bottle onto the plate.

 

“I’m sure he will be very excited.” Lilly nods as she watches Mae carefully, her hands never leaving her shoulders. She could feel them shaking beneath her palm. “How bout this. We take it one experiment an hour while they’re gone. I know you’re not thrilled about that, but you need the breaks. When you get stronger, you can practice for longer bouts.”

 

Mae pouts, but lets out a resigned sigh. “Okay. I said we’d research anyways.” She takes a paper towel and blots at her nose, cleaning away the blood.

 

Lilly nods. “Imma get you something to eat.” She sighs as she heads to the small kitchenette and can’t help her groan of disapproval at the reminder before she resigns herself to making Mae a peanut butter and nutella sandwich. She stops as she snatches up her purell bottle and hands the bottle to Mae and looks at her expectantly.

 

“Yeah yeah.” Mae squirts some on her palm and rubs her hands together before holding it back out for Lilly.

 

Lilly smiles before she hands her the sandwich and takes back the bottle. “Don’t be such a brat.” She blinks as she stares at her sister. Though Mae being who she was, dirt probably wouldn’t make her sick… But still, the thought make her ill. “I’ll set a timer kay? But unless that’s eaten.” She gestures to the sandwich. “It ain’t happenin’. Heard?” 

 

Mae smiles up at her and takes a big bite. “Heard.” She says around her mouthful. “What are you eating?”

 

“Good.” Lilly nods before she puts the sanitizer on the table and picks up her book. “Knowledge. Nom. Nom.” 

 

Mae frowns. “I’m pretty sure that’s calorie free. And you don’t need to be on a diet.”

 

“I’m not shaking from exertion.” Lilly rolls her eyes as she walks back to the bed, pulling her phone from her cleavage as she sets an alarm and plops back onto the bed.

 

“You’re the one that’s gonna get us in trouble with that mentality.” Mae shakes her head before she takes another bite.

 

“Say’s the bleeder.” Lilly scoffs. “I’ll eat after the next one.” She promises. “Trust me. I wanna be beach ball status. That means large meals once a day to fuck my metabolism.”

 

Mae laughs. “You’re never going to get away with that. Dean will be all over you to eat. Remember that argument?”

 

Lilly groans. “Yes I do.” She sighs as she gets up and grabs an apple and takes a bite. “Happy?” She asks with her mouthful.

 

“Yep.” Mae chirps as she stands and grabs her laptop. She had told Sam she would start looking into other possibilities, and she intended to do that between her new experiments.

 

Lilly rolls her eyes as she picks her book back up and disappears behind it.

  
  
  


77.

 

“So, it’s not the joke shop owner, but now you think it’s all based on lies children believe?” Mae asks, her head tilted to the side in confusion. She’d just finished up her third experiment and had only gotten slightly dizzy this time when the guys had returned to the room.

 

“Weird.” Lilly comments as she puts her book down, as she shifted to pay more attention the conversation. 

 

“Well, his face really was stuck that way. I mean really, really stuck.” Dean says shaking his head. “That poor kid, they’re flying in a plastic surgeon.”

 

“But the tooth fairy doesn’t pull teeth.” Mae points out with a shake of her head. “She, or I guess he is suppose to just collects lost teeth.”

 

“Aw look who's defending fairies. That’s cute.” Lilly comments with a sly smile poking fun at Mae.

 

“I, what, no, just.” Mae sticks her tongue out at Lilly before she continues. “If that’s what kids think the tooth fairy does, what would Santa do if he showed up?” 

 

“Uh huh.” Lilly chuckles. “Are we going with the theory Santa’s a fairy too? I always liked the one that had him enslaving the elves.” She teases as Mae glares at her.

 

Dean coughs and clears his throat. “Anyway, we’re thinking that maybe we should plot where the strange… Attacks are happening and see if anything strange comes up. Mae, you want to go with Sam for this one?”

 

Mae nods and rushes to grab her clothes to change.

 

“So what me and you are on team research? ” Lilly asks confused why Dean was volunteering to stay and read, instead of field work.

 

“Yep, we’re looking into anything that gets its jollies turning urban legends into weapons.”

 

“Like a more childish version of Loki?” Lilly asks even as she stands and walks over to her blue backpack and kneels next to it. She unzips it and looks inside with a frown before she begins digging through it. 

 

“Yeah, exactly. He doesn’t seem the type to go after this wide a range of victims. His style is more assholes and douchebags.” Sam agrees, watching as Mae got ready to leave through the cracked bathroom door.

 

“Right,  Tex you can have the books, I’ll use the craptop..” Lilly jokes as she pulls out one large tome after another. She rezips the bag shut before she organizes the pulled books by relevance. Her eyes sparkling in amusement, there was something about teasing Sam that really brightened her day. 

 

“No! Dean, please use the laptop. No porn, but I’ll take the threat of viruses over it being broken.” Sam quickly response as he grabs his lap and hugs it to him defensively. 

 

“I’ll have you know I own a craptop of my own. I can use them.” Lilly comments seriously. “I’m amazing at online shopping.” She smiles as she shifts the book about chaos gods to the top.

 

“I’m sure you can, but.” Sam shakes his head dramatically. “I will never forget that crappy little desktop you murdered.”

 

“That thing was misbehaving. I punished it. I mean, I don’t know how I punished it, but I won, and it suffered greatly.” She continues a twisted smile crossing her lips, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction and pride as she looked up at Sam. She picks up the books and walks over to the bed.

 

“What’s terrifying is that I don’t know what you did either. And that attitude is why you are  _ not _ allowed to touch my laptop.” Sam packs the laptop in a bag, settling on taking it with them to the library. 

 

“Lilly, where'd all the books come from?” Dean finally manages to ask. He’d been watching Sam with amusement as he championed his computer, but out of the corner of his eye he’d seen her pull one unexplainable book after another out of her little backpack. “You… How did you pull them out of that tiny ass bag?”

 

Sam turns to look at the small mountain of books Lilly had before he tilts his head to the side in confusion. “What the hell?”

 

“Oh, well I figured we’d need a bunch of books and Thoth and Bobby offered me a couple of their extra copies.” Lilly frowns. 

 

“Yeah, but where did you just get them from?” Sam asks.

 

“My backpack.” Lilly responds her brows drawn in confusion.

 

“I’m ready to go.” Mae says in sing song, walking out of the bathroom in her Fed skirt and jacket outfit.

 

Lilly turns to look at Mae “Ugh… You look like the office you… Gross.” Lilly comments pulling a face when she sees Mae’s FBI get up. 

 

“Wait. What do you mean you got them out of your backpack?” Dean asks. “How?”

 

Lilly tears her eyes from Mae. “Oh that’s what you were talking about.” She sighs as she runs a hand through her hair. 

 

“It’s like a bag of holding” Mae explains as she pulls her hair back into a bun and pins it in place.

 

“Yeah. I mean I couldn’t lug an entire library around.” Lilly admits with a shrug. “So Thoth and I put a ritual on my bags. Blue is books. Red is rituals and medicine. Black is cleaning and art supplies for Mae. And the gray one is my clothes, extra sheets, and personal hygiene products.” She smiles sheepishly.

 

“Ooh, you’re just like Hermione Lilly.” Mae teases as she slides on a pair of heels.

 

“Kinda. I guess.” Lilly turns to Mae with a frown. “I don’t like it.”

 

Mae frowns and looks down at herself. “I mean it’s not comfortable, but does it look bad?” She twists and turns trying to find a problem.

 

“Nah, I mean it’s professional, just so not you.” Lilly comments with her hands up defensively. “You look the epitome of stick up the ass cop-thing. Go you.” She sighs as she twirls her finger. “Yay.”

 

“I think you look nice. But I agree, not the real you.” Sam says with a smile, loving the way her legs looked in the shorter skirt and heels. She looked like a nerdier version of herself, and he had to admit he enjoyed it.

 

“Can you two pick up dinner on the way back as well?” Dean asks with a lazy smile as he moves over to Lilly.

 

“Sure, no problem man. See you two in a bit.” Sam comments as he slings his backpack over his shoulders. He holds a hand for Mae before the two of them leave.

 

“So where do you want to start? I mean ther-” Lilly begins to ask before she finds her back on the bed. It takes a moment for her to realize Dean was pinning her. “Sexy, but those are mostly Thoth’s books next to us. We are not ruining them. Copies or not.”

 

Dean growls and moves them to the other bed. “Better?” He asks as he kneels over her hips, peeling his shirt off roughly.

 

Lilly nods her head as she sits up, her hands coming up to run her nails down his back before nipping his neck roughly. “We should really be researching.” She murmurs in between each bite.

 

“Who can research when there’s this much tension in the room? We have a few hours, I’m sure we’ll manage to squeeze some research time in. Somewhere.”

 

72.

  
  


“So did you two get  _ any  _ research done?” Sam comments with a smug look, shaking his head as he shuts the door behind himself and Mae. The smell of sex clung to the air of the motel room and, of course, Dean was in the shower.

 

“We brought dinner.” Mae interjects, hoping to prevent a scathing comment.

 

“We squeezed some in, next time you two can research and we’ll do the legwork.” Lilly shrugs as she puts her book down and pulls her wet hair up into a clip. “I’d say blame Tex, but I wasn’t complaining.” She says with a lazy grin as she starts moving the books off the table.

 

Mae smiles knowingly as she walks over to the table to get everyone’s meal set up. She had insisted on stopping at an actual nice place and getting real food to bring back. Sam hadn’t minded the change at all, though he commented that Dean was going to miss his usual burger order.

 

“So what did you two find?” Lilly asks she begins helping Mae sort out the food.

 

“We made a grid of all the strange things that have happened, we think we found an epicenter.” Sam comments as he pulls a map from his bag. 

 

“What like it’s fluxing out or something?” Lilly curses. What a waste. “Well there goes all the things I’ve found.” She sighs in disappointment. “Was looking up trickster’s from different pantheons.”

 

“Or it only has a three mile radius hunting ground.” Sam points out before he walks over to show her the map. Little X’s dotted its surface, all emanating in a near perfect circle.

 

“Ah. What's at the center?” Lilly asks after looking the map over.

 

“The very center is a house.” Sam shrugs. “A farmhouse.”

 

“We are going to go check it out tomorrow morning.” Mae smiles and sits down in front of her food. 

 

Sam pins the map to the wall before he settles next to Mae and takes accepts his food.

 

“We?” Lilly asks as she takes a closer look at the map on the wall.

 

“All of us, we’re going to need all the eyes we can get on this.” Sam says, wishing Dean would hurry up and get out here so they could eat. He knew Mae was going to want to wait.

 

“Heard.” Lilly frowns at the thought. She thought her and Mae were just going to be team research, but it had been obvious when Mae’d left earlier with Sam and Dean stayed back she had thought wrong. She wasn’t sure what they were expecting her to do. Though she supposed looking around was harmless enough.  

 

“It’s strange that all the incidents are themed around kid urban legends. I mean, we still have to run this all by Dean, but that’s what my vote is for.” Sam explains, happy when he hears the shower shut off.

 

“I see.” Lilly nods absently. She didn’t know that they hunted as a democracy. She could get behind that. “Do me and Mae get votes?” She asks curiously.

 

Sam shrugs. “I don’t see why not. Mae puts her opinions in all the time.” He teases.

 

Lilly turns to look at Mae with a raised eyebrow. From what Mae had told her in the past it had always sounded more like a dictatorship.

 

“Not that it always matters.” Mae rolls her eyes before she sticks her tongue out at Sam.

 

“Gotcha.” Lilly nods with more understanding. “So who’s the president on this?” She asks already knowing the answer.

 

“Dean.” Sam and Mae say at the same time.

 

“I figured.” Lilly sighs as she leaned back in her chair.

 

“I guess that makes you the vice president.” Mae tells Sam with a teasing smile. “You step in when Dean isn’t around.”

 

Sam shakes his head. That never happened, though he supposed it would be best to lay out the hierarchy. “It goes by who has the most experience. When we hunt with Bobby he’s in charge.”

 

“Okay.” Lilly comments shaking her head. “So there’s a hierarchy, and I fall dead last. I’m fine with this. Just call me Omega.” She jokes. She had no problem acknowledging she had the least amount of experience in this particular arena. However with that same thought in mind, when they got home she was going to be pointing that out when they complained about her cleaning their rooms and doing their laundry. They sucked at it, everyone of them except the angel.  

 

Sam sighs in relief. He really had been expecting more of a fight.

 

Mae smiles at her sister as Dean finally walks out of the bathroom. “Man, that smells great.” He grins as he dries his hair with the towel.

 

“We found a mom and pop shop and picked up Italian.” Mae smiles, happy when the older couple joins them at the table.

 

“So, what did you two find while we were out?” Sam questions Dean as they all begin eating.

 

“Uh…” Dean begins  trying to remember what little research he had accomplished, as he scoops up his container of take out.

 

“Alpha?” Lilly mumbles under her breath, with a roll of her eyes. No wonder why they blundered so often. He could’ve at least tried to remember something she had read to him. 

 

“Dele-gater.” Mae mock sneezes.

 

“Ah, I see.” Lilly smiles as she begins eating her food. 

 

“What was dat?” Dean asks with a mouthful of alfredo noodles.

 

“Right, well we were actually getting stuff done.” Sam grouses.

 

“Not my fault, you should have called bull shit when he offered to read.” Lilly shrugs. “And I did research, just not a lot.” She sniffs indignantly.

 

“Sam, it’s okay. We get to be team research next time.” Mae comments mischievously before she takes a bite of her salad. 

 

“Almost none of her books were in english, and you took the laptop.” Dean grumbles before he changes the subject shamelessly. “ So what did you two find?” 

 

“Mae’s was here.” Sam points out, knowing that Lilly wouldn’t have dared to break her sister’s computer. At least, he was hoping that was true, because how else had they made it so long as friends.

 

“I wasn’t going to go through her stuff. She’s a lady.” Dean defends.

 

“Right, well they found the center of the urban legends.  _ WE _ are apparently checking it tomorrow.” Lilly adds shaking her head, and pointing to Sam’s map with her fork. She was not thrilled with Sam’s plan, and was positive it was going to end poorly for her somehow. Like if they expected her to check a cellar or something. She’d wait her happy ass in the car.

 

“Yep. We went and did a few interviews, got the addresses where everything happened and then Sam put it all into a database and ta-da, map.” Mae says, still impressed at how fast Sam had compiled the information.

 

“Awesome.” Dean nods as he looks over the map approvingly before he realized Lilly had said we. “What do you mean we?” He asks, shooting Lilly a suspicious look.

 

“I thought, since it seems to be rather directly related to things that kids believe, that all of us could head out to the farmhouse tomorrow, look around for anything suspicious. It’ll be quicker with the four of us.” Sam interrupts, knowing Lilly had included herself because of him.

“Why all of us? Lilly doesn’t even have fake IDs.” Dean points out.

 

“So true I really don’t.” Lilly agrees easily. “I’ll motel sit and do actual research.”

 

“We could always say the girls are consulting with the bureau.” Sam offers.

 

“What would they be consulting? Lilly did you even bring professional clothes.” Dean asks.

 

“I don’t do professional.” Lilly states. “I can act professional, and that’s where it stops.”

 

“It’s true.” Mae nods. “She only wears long flowy skirts and band tees that have been cut. It’s all she owns. She doesn’t even dress up for the charity events we’ve found ourselves at since I took over as head of the Wright halfway house foundation.” Lilly had thrown out ever professional item of clothing she owned the day they were free from visiting judges, in fact if she recalled it correctly they had been burned.

 

“Just call me a psychic. Who’s gonna care? Cops do dumb shit like that all the time.” Lilly comments dryly. It wasn’t even a lie, she was a psychic, just not that kind. She smirks at the irony. “And it’s not like ya’ll investigate normal cases anyways.”

 

Mae gives Lilly an appreciative smile. She knew Lilly hated the idea of joining the brothers. But after seeing the size of the land around the farmhouse, Sam had thought it best for them to go as a group to cover more area faster. She agreed, and it was nice to get out of the hotel room, even if she wasn’t getting to work with her plants.

 

Dean frowns. “I don’t think real cops bring psychics with them on cases.”

 

Lilly shoots him an incredulous look. “You’re not actually a cop Dean.”

 

Dean frowns. “No, I’m a hunter. Cops would freak out if they saw what we saw.”

 

Lilly lifts her brow. “Yes they would Dean.” She agrees. “But I don’t have fake IDs and I don’t own anything like what that one is currently sporting.” She points out as she gestures to Mae’s outfit with a look of disgust. “However I can totally pull off psychic, and nothing about me even whispers authoritarian.” She had been pretty laid back about this whole mess, in her humble opinion, but pretending to be a cop was a very firm line. It was bad enough she went to the damn sheriff’s office so often, but that was only because Jody had always been nice to her. She couldn’t even count the number of times something on her record got expunged because of that woman. 

  
Sam shakes his head. “If it makes you feel better Dean, I’ll get a couple of IDs made for her at the next kinkos we pass.” He sighs before he looks Lilly over. “But, worse case I don’t actually disagree with her. And I don’t think it would be that strange. We do only show up for our types of cases and the local officials are usually more than happy to pass them off the Feds.  _ And  _ her asking the questions we usually do would get way less looks and attention if she was claiming to be psychic.”

 

“So, what. Now we’re a special division of the FBI?” Dean asks skeptically even as he thinks it over. It would be harder to explain, but he really couldn’t picture Lilly going along with the cop thing without a lot of time consuming convincing. He knew he could make her if necessary, but he really didn’t want to. She was already being surprisingly accommodating about this whole mess.

 

Mae’s eyes widen in excitement. “We’d be like a special unit task force team.”

 

Lilly shakes her head at Mae’s enthusiasm. “Whatever gets me outta dressin’ like that.  _ And  _ it’s not like we’d be pulling this stunt for every one of your cases, right?” 

 

Dean chuckles. “Sure, we’ll spin it that way.” If it didn’t work it didn’t work. They’d just have to come up with something else.

 

“Thank you.” Lilly breathes with relief as she returns to her food. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll be getting another chapter out this week, as of right now we're aiming for Thursday, so keep an eye out. And dont forget to leave us something. We can't tell you how much you readers help keep us writing. Lot of love, and happy New Year!


	34. Chapter 32

77

 

Dean parks the Impala next to the rickety white picket fence. “This is the place?”

 

Mae nods after rechecking the address. “Yep. This is the center of chaos.”

The four of them get out of the Impala and head up the tidy little walkway. Everything looked like what you would expect to find in a yard. The hedges were all trimmed. There was a bike pulled up on the porch. The paint on the house was peeling, but the porch floor looked like it had been scrubbed recently. I was just, normal. 

 

Sam reaches out and knocks against the worn white door. 

 

Mae smiles, surprised, when the door is slowly opened by a young boy. 

 

“Hello?” The boy says, looking at the four adults in confusion. 

 

“Hi there.” Mae grins as she looks into the boy’s green eyes. 

 

“Can I help you?” He asks as he continues eyeing the group.

 

“Well, what’s your name?” Sam asks, stepping up next to Mae.

 

“I’m Jesse. Who are you?” Jesse greets with frown.

 

“Well, I’m Special Agent Paige, these are my partners Special Agents Plant and Howl, and this is Viola.” The three ‘agents’ pull out their badges for Jesse to see.

 

“Let me see that.” Jesse says as he pulls Mae’s badge out of her hand. He spends a few seconds looking it over before he hands it back to her. “Ok then. What do you want?”

 

“We were just wondering if your parents were home, Jesse.” Sam says with a warm smile.

 

“Obviously they’re not Agent.” Lilly responds, her tone confident as she shakes her head. She could add up context clues. “Hey there Jesse.” She greets the child with a small wave.

 

“Hi. And she’s right, they’re not, they’re working.” Jesse frowns as he eyes Lilly curiously. 

 

“Would you mind if we asked you a few questions, maybe took a look around?” Sam continues, still smiling.

 

“Uh, I don’t know.” Jesse looks down at his feet for a moment.

 

“It’ll be quick. We just have a few questions.” Mae assures him with a disarming smile.

 

“You can trust us,” Dean adds as he taps his badge against his forehead, “We’re the authorities.”

 

“Well, I guess.” Jesse sighs as he opens the door wider to let in the four adults.

 

78.

 

“I have no idea what that kid is.” Dean sighs in defeat. He all but tosses aside another useless book.

 

“You mean besides awesome? Little sarcastic brat, totally adorable.” Lilly smiles from her spot beside Dean as she picks up the book he had dropped to place on top of the pile next to her.

 

“Yeah, he was so cute. And forward.” Mae nods, agreeing with her sister before she continues to work on the computer, scrolling through birth records.

 

Sam snaps his phone shut and looks back to the group. “Bobby says he hasn’t found anything either. Maybe it’s time to ask Cass.”

 

“Sam! I found it.” Mae exclaims triumphantly. “Jesse’s birth records. Looks like he was adopted. His birth mom, Julia Write, doesn’t live that far from here.”

 

“Good job baby.” Sam says with a proud grin, rubbing her back as he looked over her at the monitor. “We’ve got another lead to chase.” He says as he looks over at the bigs.

 

“Look at you Harps, learnin’ how to hack shit, so illegal. I’ve never been more proud.” Lilly pipes up wiping at an imaginary tear. “I’ve been tryin’ to get ya ass ta break the law for years.” She scoffs as she looks over Sam. “Apparently all it took was a hot piece of ass.” 

 

Mae gives Lilly a wink. “Sam hacked it, I just had to read through the lines of garble.” She admits sheepishly, “Besides, I helped you with the... Nevermind.”

 

“With the what?” Dean growls, unhappy to even hear a hint of something he might not be aware of.

 

“X-cupcakes.” Lilly supplies with a dismissive wave before she turns back to Mae. “And that totally doesn’t count.” She frowns at Mae. 

 

“So yeah, she doesn’t live that far away.” Mae interrupts before anyone could open up that particular argument.

 

“Looks like you two are up.” Sam grins at the bigs.

 

“Oh… Well this will go swimmingly I’m sure.” Lilly comments sarcastically as she gets up and stretches.

 

“Don’t worry Hufflepuff I’ll show you the ropes.” Dean grins as he stands.

 

“Yay…” Lilly responds, unenthusiastically. Her eyes follow Dean as he jots down the address.

 

Mae and Sam sit at the table, waiting for the older couple to get ready for their first ‘mission’ together.

 

“So what’s the plan here? Am I playin’ social worker this time around or what?” Lilly asks not bothering to change.

 

Sam nods. That wasn’t a bad play at all. Apparently when it came to working cases Lilly was pretty good at coming up with roles. “And Dean could be an officer escorting you to speak with the birth mother.” He adds, looking through their ID box until he pulls a badge and detective credentials out for Dean.

 

“Right, well luckily I’ve had a shit time of one on one time with them, so that works for me.” Lilly shrugs. 

 

“And it makes it so you don’t have to answer her questions about Jesse. You don’t even have to tell her why you’re there. Legally, you can’t.” Sam points out, that was rather convenient.

 

“I know, isn’t the legal system amazing.” Lilly agrees as she leans against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest as she waits for Dean to get dressed.

 

The two of them leave not ten minutes later. 

 

Sam smiles as he looks down at Mae, “Finally!” He breaths, grabbing her up by her waist.

 

“How long do you think we have?” Mae questions with a smile.

 

“Three or four hours, maybe more if Lilly does something Lilly like.” Sam grins as he dips down and catches her mouth with his. His hands work their way under her shirt before pulling it over her head.

 

Mae’s hands start working at the buttons on his shirt before they move to his belt, “Sounds like we don’t have time to waste.” She says coyly, sighing contently as Sam tips them both onto the bed.

 

79.

 

Lilly knocks three times in an obnoxious fashion before she enters their motel room. She was frustrated by the way things had gone with Julia. She and Dean had argued the whole way back. She was pissed that Dean had breached Jesse’s adopted parents’ privacy by disclosing his location to his birth mother. 

 

“Hey guys.” Mae chirps, looking content with her hair still up in a towel.

 

“Sup.” Lilly greets off handedly as she walks over to the low budget couch, plopping onto it before she picks up the closest book and flips it open angrily. 

 

“Hey. So apparently he’s a half demon.” Dean greets the littles as he walks in the room and glares at Lilly.

 

“ _ What? _ ” Sam automatically takes a protective step towards Mae. His brow furrows in concern, looking almost comical under his wet hair. “A half demon?”

 

“Yeah, I guess immaculate conception works for the opposition as well.” Lilly comments off handedly from behind her book.

 

“So, Mae is off this case.” Sam says. He was already resigned that Mae was going to be unhappy with him, but he was determined to keep her out of the damned demon’s reach.

 

Mae crosses her arms in front of her chest and shakes her head. She knew better than to argue with them though, obviously the brothers were both going to agree, and she would be surprised if Lilly sided against them on this, not that it would have made a difference.

 

“If Mae’s off the case you should be too.” Lilly points out without missing a beat.

 

“She’s got a point Sammy.” Dean gives him a reproachful glare. 

 

“You can’t be serious, we don’t even know the implications of what a human demon hybrid means. You can’t take this on with just Lilly.” Sam argues as he meets Dean’s glare.

 

“He’s a kid Sam. I doubt he even knows what he is. If we don’t act aggressively it shouldn’t set him off. That’s how kids work.” Lilly frowns as she looks at the younger Winchester in disapproval. What was he even implying? That just because the kid was half demon he was already marked as evil? He needed to watch his fucking mouth with that shit.

 

“We should call Cass. He’s going to want to know about this. Jesse is reshaping reality around himself. Maybe Cass will even know how to help.” Mae reluctantly admits. She knew how important Castiel’s mission to find God was, and she felt guilty for even suggesting they bother him.

 

“Not a bad plan, was just hopin’ to leave im’ out of it.” Dean agrees sending a brief but informative prayer to the angel, as he settles next to Lilly, who moves to the arm of the couch and continues glaring at him.

 

“Not Cass.” Lilly comments when she feels an angel approaching. She tilted her head to the side and tried to feel the grace. She frowned. It wasn’t Zachariah though. Nor was it Anna. 

 

“What do you mean?” Dean asks in confusion. 

 

“I mean it’s not-” Lilly frowns as she twists to look at the door. “Whoever it is is here.” She sighs.

 

“I got here as quick as I could.” A unfamiliar voice calls out. “Nobody panic! But I can not enter your dwelling.” 

 

“What the fuck?” Dean whispers as he stands up. He knew that voice. It was Baltazar.

 

“Winchesters and females, I cannot enter your dwelling. Castiel sent me, he’s busy looking for dear ol’ dad. Please answer the door, this is damned obnoxious.” Baltazar calls out again.

 

Mae and Lilly exchange a look.

 

“Cass sent a friend.” Sam explains to the girls. “He’s helped Cass out before.” He adds as he follows Dean to the door.

 

Dean opens the door to find a tall lean blonde man leaning against the frame lazily.

 

“Dean, ‘bout bloody time.” Baltazar greets with impatience. “I have better things to be doin’ ya know. So what’s this ‘bout the antichrist?”

 

Sam lets out a surprised breath. Of course they found the antichrist. Why not? He turns to look at the girls hesitantly. That did not sound good.

 

Lilly raises her brow as she comes to the door and looks the new angel over with curiosity, Mae right behind her.  

 

“Oh right. Haven’t met the females yet. Where are my manners?” Balthazar shakes his head. “Castiel has really been gettin’ on me ‘bout this lately. I’m Balthazar. I’d shake your hand, but, angel wards and all that.” He shrugs as he looks around the room. He looked incredibly bored.

 

“Right uh…” Sam comments before looking behind him to the rest of his family, taking in their reactions.

 

Mae suddenly looks down when her pocket vibrates. She pulls it out, and reads the text with a small smile. “Cass just texted me. I didn’t even know he could do that.” 

 

“Fuckin’ impressive, look at Angel learnin’ new tricks.” Lilly shrugs, cursing the fact the Angel seemed to pick up technology quicker than her. 

 

“Yes Dear, he has been fiddling often with that contraption you all gave him. You must be Mae.” 

 

Mae nods at the new angel, wary of him. She tilts her head to the side as she reads the message. “He says he can’t make it, but he sent a trusted brother named Balthazar. He said you both have already met him.”

 

“Hello again, that would be me, the trusted big brother. ” Balthazar waves lazily. “So that antichrist problem? Are we just gonna talk that this or are you going to let me in?”

 

“We could just interrupt one sigil, let him in.” Mae offers reluctantly.

 

“Sounds good to me.” Lilly comments walking over to the wall and narrows her eyes before she scratches out one of the wards. She was not thrilled about the way this angel was talking about Jesse in the slightest. 

 

“Wai-” Sam calls out as Dean shouts “Noo-”

 

“Thank you Mae and Lilly.” Balthazar comments as he walks into the room.

 

“What? Cass sent him, he can’t be that big of a dick, let it go.” Lilly defends briskly. “It’s gonna draw more attention just havin’ him out in the hallway, he’s loud and obviously his vessel ain’t from these parts.”

 

“I assure you, I can be a dick.” Balthazar nods to Lilly. “But seriously, Baby Brother Castiel hasn’t asked for my help in so long, how could I refuse him? It was nice to see him out and about after we pulled him from Naomi’s bloody torture chair. Now what do you need?” He makes himself comfortable on the couch. “Holy Heaven’s prison, this thing is bloody uncomfortable.” He looks at the couch with an insulted grimace.

 

“It’s a shitty motel room, what do you want?” Lilly scoffs, leaning against the wall. She didn’t disagree with him in the slightest. That couch had probably lived there since this shitty motel opened.

 

“We discovered a child that can warp reality, and after talking to the birth mother, we found out he comes from demon immaculate conception.” Dean snaps, this guy was just getting on his nerves..

 

“Antichrist. You just have to kill it. Are we done?” Balthazar asks, still trying to find a comfortable way to sit on the couch.

 

“ _ Right _ . Thanks for your help. We’ll get right on that.” Lilly comments as she turns to re-apply the ward. Nope. All angel’s were dicks, except for Cass who must’ve been the black sheep or something.

 

“I don’t understand your sarcasm. He’s an antichrist. He’s getting stronger because Lucifer has risen.” Balthazar comments, sitting forward in his seat steepling his fingers.

 

“He’s just a little boy!” Mae growls angrily as she rips the towel from her head. 

 

Sam pulls Mae back as she takes a threatening step towards the angel. “We’re the good guys, we don’t kill children.” He says resolutely. 

 

“Well you two defending him, that makes sense. Michael’s sheath doesn’t.” Balthazar says dryly.

 

“We are not fucking sheaths, for angels or otherwise.” Lilly growls, as Dean pulls the knife from her hands.

 

“Oh, come on now, surely you know you can’t fight destiny. Haven’t you already tried that once?” Baltazar rolls his eyes.

 

“I’m a slow learner.” Lilly growls, annoyed with this prick of an angel and Dean for stopping her.

 

“Ok, fine, you don’t have to kill him.” Balthazar rolls his eyes and stands up to look at the wall with all the case information on it.

 

“Why would the angels want Jesse dead?” Dean asks, trying to form a plan for dealing with the problem.

 

“Simple, he’s meant to be used as a weapon. If the demon’s find him, they will turn him for evil. These simple little things that are happening.” Balthazar taps the different reports on the wall. “Are just the tip of the iceberg. He will become capable of anything, including killing off the entire host of heaven.”

 

“Good.” Lilly snaps. 

 

“That includes your little pocket angel friend.” Balthazar points out.

 

“Liked him just fine as a human.” Lilly shrugs.

 

“Hmmm, I’m having a hard time picturing that. Castiel seems to have a permanent stick wedged between his cheeks.” Balthazar turns back to the information on the wall. His eyes land on the map. “Well then, I’m off to take care of this. Tata!” He takes a bow as both Lilly and Mae lunge at him in an attempt to stop him. 

 

“Fucking shit!” Dean growls as the three of them disappeared. 

 

“Dammit!” Sam shouts, “We’ve got to get to the house.”

 

They both tear out of the room, racing for the Impala.

 

80

 

“Wow, you two  _ are _ reckless.” Baltazar rolls his eyes at the stowaways in the middle of Jesse’s living room. “I like it, but this was unexpected.” He comments as he easily picks the both of them up and shoves them into a closet. “I’ll return you to the swords in a moment dears.”

 

Lilly growls in anger, bending down the minute the door is shut to snag the knife from Mae’s ankle holster. She slashes her palm open and throws up the quickest angel ward she has ever put up. Her fear for the small boy was fuelling her to move fast as she draws the ward in record time while cursing the angel in every language she knew.

 

Mae slams herself into the door in sheer panic before she recalls Dean’s lessons about ‘proper’ door kicking. She braces her back against the wall and manages to kick it open after three attempts. She turns back to find Lilly about to slam her hand onto the circle. “I’ll go find Jesse.”

 

“Go!” Lilly bites out as she slams her palm against the wall.

 

Mae takes off running through the house until she finds the boy walking out of the kitchen. “Jesse, oh thank god.” She lets out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding, “You’re ok.” She rushes up to him.

 

Lilly rushes up several seconds later, one of her bandages rearranged to her palm. “Hey kiddo, we need to talk.” 

 

“What’s going on? Why are you here?” Jesse asks as he backs away in fear.

 

“No no, it’s ok. You don’t have to be afraid of us, we’re here to help you.” Mae says as she holds her hands up.

 

“You should have been the psychic.” Lilly breathes out dropping to a knee, to be more at his level. “Hey Jesse, we need to talk. You’re not going to like it. Can you hear us out? It’s very serious.”

 

“I’m not sure this is a good time to do this. We need to get him away from here before that guy comes back.” Mae points out, remembering that the banishing didn’t last forever.

 

“How? We jus’ goin’ to run and hide?” Lilly asks skeptically. “Though I guess I can try calling for Thoth…”

 

“We should just hide, it’s what the guys would want us to do. We’re hidden, and he had to look for an address, so maybe he couldn’t feel Jesse.” Mae says, fully understanding Lilly’s past reluctance to bring her gods into situations dealing with angels.

 

“Right, Jesse we’re going to have to go hide.” Lilly frowns. “I know this is a lot, but you’re in a bit of danger and we really want to help you.” She curses as she unwraps her palm and starts a second sigil. “He’s coming.” She warns as she digs her fingers into the cut and races against the approaching angel.

 

“I promise we will explain everything to you.” Mae adds as she holds her hand out for him.

 

Jesse frowns as he steps towards Mae.

 

“Gods dammit, that was quicker than I expected.” Lilly curses as she goes to slam her palm down, only to be flung into a wall.

 

“Whoa, I really underestimated you two. Castiel warned me but I thought, ‘Hey, I’m the elder brother, I can handle a couple of girl children.” Balthazar sighs.

 

“Mae, Jesse run!” Lilly yells as she struggles against the invisible restraints. She growls as her nails bite into her already open palm.

“Lilly, please stop. I really don’t want to hurt you.” Balthazar says as he releases her and walks towards Mae, who was holding Jesse behind her and slowly backing away. “Mae, Please just, let me carry out my duty.”

 

Lilly lets out a slew of curses in every language she knows, letting Balthazar know exactly what he could go do with himself. She gets up the minute she’s able and growls “ Sanguinem et sanguinem”. She races after the angel as the blood on her palm begins to heat up.

 

Balthazar tilts his head to the side before he disappears.

 

Lilly skids to a halt and runs back to the sigil.

 

“You are persistent.” Balthazar rolls his eyes before he flings her to the wall again. This time he walks over to the sigil and easily clears it with a wave.

 

“Mae get the kid and run dammit!” Lilly shouts as she finds herself pinned to wall again.

 

“He’s a little boy you monster.” Mae shouts before she turns to lead Jesse away. “Run Jesse. We have to run.” They make it a few feet before Balthazar appears in front of her, blocking her attempt to escape through the kitchen. Mae pulls Jesse into her arms, turning to run back to Lilly and the only other exit she knew of. 

 

“Mae, just give me the boy, you’re only scaring him before he dies. This is so very unnecessary.”  Balthazar sighs.

 

“You touch either of them, I swear to my gods you will pay Angel.” Lilly hisses out as she grabs Mae’s knife and cuts her palm deeper. “I will pluck every fuckin’ feather!” She growls as she reactivates the spell the moment Mae and Jesse run past her.

 

“I will give you both this, you are truly deserving of the Archangel’s you are promised to. Destiny chose well. And has a sense of humor. But I tire of thi-”

 

They all jump as they hear the door kicked.

 

“Looks like the cavalry has arrived. Time’s up.” Balthazar flings Lilly to the side so he can get a clear shot at the boy. He pulls a blade from seemingly nowhere as he bears down on Mae, who was shielding the antichrist in her arms. 

 

“Son of a bitch!” Lilly curses loudly as her back slams into the wall, irritated by the fact Balthazar was treating her like a fucking bag of potatoes.

 

Mae moves away slowly until her back hits a wall. With tears in her eyes she turns to shield Jesse with her body. “It’s gonna be okay Jesse.” She assures him. And she believed it. She knew Sam and Dean were here, trusted that they could get in the house in time to stop Balthazar.

 

Time slows, Balthazar vanishes, and Lilly finds herself able to move again.

 

They hear the door crash open, breaking the strange distortion as footsteps pound through the house. 

 

“Did… Did I just do that?” They all hear Jesse ask as he looks to the floor with a frown

 

Mae turns with him to look at the miniature toy soldier like toy on the floor that resembled Balthazar; it even had a raised blade in it’s hand.

 

“Oh… Wow, yeah you did. Super job Scarlet Mage.” Lilly beams at Jesse as she moves away from the wall to gently ruffle his hair with her blood free palm.

 

“Mae!” Sam shouts in a strangled voice as Dean gowles. “Lilly!”

 

“We’re in here.” Mae shouts back, still holding Jesse as he clung to her, trembling. She immediately begins building a barrier to shield herself from the emotions she could already feel coming towards her.

 

“Hmm” Lilly asks turning to the brother’s voices, even as she bends down to pick up the toy angel. “Sup?” She greets as the brotjobs enter the room.

 

“It’s ok Jesse. You’re ok.” Mae speaks soothingly to the boy, slightly rocking on the spot and rubbing his back in the attempt to comfort him.

 

“What the hell happened?” Dean all but yells as he rushes over to Lilly. Concern and anger were coming off him in waves. Sam follows right behind, his emotions just as turbulent.

 

“Guys, please.” Mae pleads, her voice trembling as she feels wetness trickle from her nose. 

 

“You’re at tens, let’s try two, maybe three. Jesse got us, no prob.” Lilly shrugs. “Jesse hun, I know this a lot, like a fucking lot, but the five of us need to talk.” She sighs as she looks at the boy with concern.

 

“She’s hurt.” Jesse says calmly, touching Mae’s face. The motion draws Sam’s attention to Mae’s state, and he begins calming himself down, reminding himself that she was an excellent hunter, and clearly everything was fine. They’d talk about the rest later.

 

“She’s an empath, strong emotions give her nose bleeds.” Lilly explains softly, as she runs her clean fingers through the boy's hair soothingly. She was just relieved that Balthazar hadn’t been able to kill Mae or Jesse. “We should really get the fuck outta here though.”

 

“I’m ok champ. Let’s go talk.” Mae says with a smile, loosening her grip to see if he wanted to walk himself. When he doesn’t move, she walks with him into the front room, remembering vaguely that there had been a seating area there.

 

Sam follows after her, keeping a hand on her back, needing the physical touch to help him stay in control of his emotions.

 

“Can you please tell me what the fuck is going on?” Dean asks trying to keep his temper in check.

 

“No, not really, but here.” Lilly answers handing him a plastic toy. “Souvenir.”

 

“What the, is this Balthazar?” Dean asks, looking at it with wide eyes.

 

“Correct.” Lilly beams nothing short of amused, she grabs his free hand and pulls him in the direction of the other three. She found herself secretly hoping the angel was permanently stuck in that form for being a prick. Jesse, antichrist or not, was still just a scared and confused kid.  

 

“What’s going on?” Jesse asks, sounding lost as he sits on the couch his hand gripping Mae’s tightly. Lilly notices that either Mae cleaned herself up, or Sam did, because all traces of blood were gone.

 

“Right, well would you like the truth becau-” Lilly begins before Dean pockets the angel and shoves his hand over her mouth.

 

“You’re a superhero!” Dean smiles finishing Lilly’s sentence, the hand that had been holding her hand, wrapping around her and holding her closer.

 

Mae glares at Dean, unhappy with the way he had chosen to handle the situation, but smart enough to not argue.

 

“I want to hear it from them.” Jesse frowns as Dean finds himself releasing Lilly.

 

Sam raises his eyebrow, realising that must have been Jesse’s influence. He just sits quietly on the other side of Mae, his hand resting gently on her knee.

 

“Okay. Neat.” Lilly comments walking over to kneel in front of Jesse and Mae. “Look Jesse, you're not going to like this kid, but it’s the gods’ honest truth. I promise. I know it’s going to be a lot to hear, but some crazy shit has been happening, and you deserve to know why.”

 

They all jump as, once again, the front door is slammed open.

 

“You have got to be shittin’ me.” Lilly sighs, closing her eyes as she stands.

 

“Demon!” Mae shouts, pulling Jesse back into her arms as she and Sam quickly stand, moving towards the other exit from the room.

 

Dean and Lilly immediately turn to rush the demon, in attempt to give the other three time to escape.

 

“My my my, it’s a smorgasbord of amazing things for me.” Julia chuckles as she walks into the room. “You two are in my way.” She says, waving her hand from them to the wall.

 

Lilly and Dean find themselves thrown into the wall and held, unable to move even or even speak.

 

“And you two, I can’t hurt you, Daddy needs you. So, dream boat, up you go.” Julia says, repeating the gesture as Sam lands much softer against the wall on the other side of Lilly. “So that leaves you, pretty lady, and my son. I’m so glad the two of you have met. And you seem to be getting along so well.” The woman tilts her head to the side Hello Jesse, I’m your mother.”

 

Jesse looks from the woman speaking and then back to Mae confused. 

 

“I won’t let you hurt him.” Mae shouts at the demon. She starts backing away again, her arms protectively wrapped around Jesse as she looks around the room carefully.

 

“Oh I don’t want to hurt you, either of you. Daddy has plans for you both.” Julia assures them with a twisted smile. 

 

Mae shivers visibly, “No.”

 

The demon just smiles at her discomfort. “Jesse, you are so beautiful. I’m so sorry I lost track of you.”

 

“You’re not my mother.” Jesse responds as his fingers twist in the back of Mae’s shirt, like a lifeline. 

 

“Jesse, I really am your mother.”

 

“My mom and dad, are upstairs sleeping.” Jesse denies as he shakes his head, his eyes wide with fear.

 

“They’re not your parents, not really. They lied about taking you from me. They adopted you, even though I never wanted to give you up. I’m here to tell you the truth, because so far, everyone has been lying to you.”

 

Mae feels the boy in her arms shudder, “It’s ok Jesse. I promise Lilly and I were not going to lie to you.” She whispers to him, readjusting him on her hip to look him fully in the eyes.

 

“I don’t, I want to hear it from them, I want hear their story. You sit down and shut up!” Jesse yells as the brothers and Lilly fall back to the ground and the demon is flung into a seat.

 

“Okay! Thanks Jesse.” Lilly chirps as she stands and wipes off her skirt the minute she’s able to. The brothers follow suit a little slower.

 

“Right so as I was-” Dean begins again, only to be cut off.

 

“Nope, shut it Tex.” Lilly snaps at him. “Alright Jesse, I’m about to lay so much shit on you but I promise it’s all true.” Lilly swears to the child.

 

Mae nods encouragingly as she moves back to sit on the couch. This time, Jesse does not move from her lap. She was grateful when Sam and Dean move to block the demon’s gaze.

 

“My names Lilly, the woman holding you is Mae. I’m a priestess of a truth goddess, and Mae, well, she’s half Fae. Those two men, they aren’t just men, they are hunters. They kill monsters and protect innocent people. They wanted to lie to spare you, but if I was in your position I’d want to know everything, so here it is. That woman is in fact your birth mother, but she’s being possessed by a demon. The brit who attacked you was an angel. There is a huge war happening. Like end of the world shit. You are a pivotal part of that. You are very much half demon, but that doesn’t make you evil.” She sighs as she thinks about it. “You have choices to make, like spiderman vs venom choices here. Or sith vs jedi, doesn’t matter the metaphor, but they are all important hun. Are you following me so far?”

 

“My parent’s aren’t my real parents, I’m half demon, and I could be evil, or I can be good. I’m a freak.” Jesse frowns as he wraps his fingers back into Mae’s shirt, this time the front.

 

“No you’re not a freak, just different. Nothin’ wrong with different. We just have more responsibility and make bigger splashes kiddo. You’re powerful, not gunna lie, but you don’t have to be evil.” Lilly corrects him softly as she kneels in front of him. 

 

“Some people might call you a freak, but not us. Never us. We’re all different too. We all chose to do good things. But, it is your choice. You can be whatever you want, no one can stop you.” Mae adds with a small smile.

 

“We can’t tell you what to do, but we can help you be safe.” Lilly offers with a small smile. “We can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. I would suggest staying away from demons and angels though.” 

 

“Why?” Jesse asks, leaning against Mae.

 

“Cause contrary to popular belief angels are all dick bags and demons, well they live up to the rep and are slimy assholes.”

 

“Lilly, unnecessary language.” Mae chides gently, still rubbing Jesse’s back.

 

“What?” Lilly looks at Mae and frowns as she looks up at her sister. “This some heavy shit Mae, I’m treating him like an adult, it’s not fair, but seriously, neither is the situation.” She explains with a sigh before she looks back at the scared boy. “Jesse, honey, you’re life is going to be difficult. I’d be lying if I didn’t warn you of that. But it doesn’t have to be awful. You really do have choices albeit limited ones. We can help you. Get you someplace safe. Xavier style, ya know.”

 

“I’m just a kid though.” Jesse admits tearfully.

 

“I know. This really sucks, it’s not fair, and you’re barely eleven.” Lilly frowns. “We know It’s not fair, and I wish we could lie, but that’s just not safe for you, or even fair. We’d be glad to help you, help protect you. Support you in anyway you needed it. But you, I know this sucks little man, but you can’t stay here. You’re mom and dad would be targets. Both sides have found you. Have you read Harry Potter?” 

 

Jesse simply nods.

 

“Well we’re your owls. You can come stay with us at our home. We will protect you. That we can promise. At least we will do so to the best of our ability, cause as it stands you’ve now saved our asses twice.” Lilly continues somberly bringing up one hand to wipe away his tears. Her heart breaking for the young boy in front of her.

 

“But in the spirit of not lying to you, the demon wasn’t lying about their leader wanting me and Mae. Lilly and Dean are wanted by angels. We’re already in this war, we can’t get out of it.” Sam says, wanting to give this kid the full picture.

 

“So, I… I can’t stay here?” Jesse asks his voice breaking.

 

“Not safely. I’m sorry Jesse.” Dean speaks up shaking his head, pissed at the way the others decided to handle the situation. What the fuck was wrong with them? This kid was shaking with fear, and Lilly was just dumping this shit on him.

 

“Can I take my parents with me?” Jesse asks as he looks around the room at each of them. “Are they in trouble?”

 

“Well…” Lilly takes a deep breath. “In all honesty you’d be putting them in more danger, I’m sure you’d be able to protect them, but that’s a lot of responsability for you. I’m sorry.” She sighs.

 

“What should I do?” Jesse asks as he looks at Mae with a frown.

 

“Jesse,” Mae breaths out sadly. Her grip on her barriers was waning as her heart broke for this kid. “We can’t tell you what to do. I really wish we could. You’re a kid, we know that. But, we can’t make this decision for you. You have to do what you feel is right, because that’s all any of us can do.” She looks around the room before she continues. “We’re all still at least part human, we’re mistake makers. But, the mistakes and things you succeed at are part of what makes you who you are.” She says, giving him a small smile as she continued to rub his back.

 

“Whatever your decision is, just know, regardless we will help you as best we can. Assuming you stay Jedi. Tex wasn’t wrong, you are kind of a superhero.” Lilly offers with a frown.

 

“And superheroes have responsibilities.” Jesse says with a nod.

 

“Right. There’s so much good you can do, but just as equally bad. Third option is you can stay neutral and try to duck under the radar.” Lilly nods.

 

“Can I stay with you?” Jesse asks, looking between Mae and Lilly.

 

“If that’s what you want to do, but Sam wasn’t wrong. Heaven and Hell have us on wanted posters, Robin Hood style.” Lilly responds with a reassuring smile. 

 

“But we can help protect each other. It will never be easy, but if that’s what you want. Sioux Falls is a great town. And we have a huge house, and a big garden. And Lilly bakes and cooks.” Mae smiles as she whispers. “She’s pretty awesome.” Like she was sharing a secret with him.

 

“I cheat, I use Fae food, and bless it.” Lilly winks.

 

Jesse lets a small smile form on his face. “Can I go say bye to my parents?”

 

“Absolutely.” Lilly smiles holding out her hand to help him climb off Mae’s lap, and is surprised when he hugs her, but she hugs him back nonetheless.

 

“We’ll wait for you.” Mae smiles encouragingly.

 

“I’ll be down in a minute.” Jesse responds hesitantly, turning from Lilly to Mae and hugs her as well. He stays there for a long moment, wiping his tears on her shirt before he lets his arms drop.

 

Before he leaves the room, he turns to look at the woman sitting as if tied to the chair. “Get out of her.” He commands. Black smoke instantly begins pouring from the woman’s mouth. “And forget where my parents live. Infact forget you were here, and that we exist.”

 

The black smoke hesitates for a moment before it streams up the fireplace.

 

“Kid, you are, so freaking awesome!” Dean says, undoubtedly impressed.

 

Jesse smiles hesitantly before he heads up the stairs after giving Mae and Lilly one last look.

 

Dean watched, as the girls dealt and talked with Jesse; he was impressed. He wasn’t sure why Lilly had the fear of being a bad mother. Besides the whole cursing thing, she seemed to do great at it.  It certainly reminded him that both girls had lots of interactions with children, even had walked into a haunted house because of two back home, not to mention the orphanage. He was amazed at Lilly’s patience with them, certainly counting this instance as one of the most patient he’d ever seen her. He smiled at the thought of them having kids together, before he shakes the thought from his head a frown replacing the smile just as quickly with a curse. The apocalypse was upon them and there was no guarantee of their safety. When the thought that the boy was going to come with them enters his mind, his eyes widen with fear. Not sure what they had been thinking, his mind immediately jumping to Bobby, who was mostly home bound with research for them and other hunters. 

 

Sam too found himself thinking of how good the girls had been with Jesse. How Jesse had seemed to naturally take to Mae. She was clearly mother material, and he wondered why he had never really thought of that before. After all, they both worked with children all the time. He couldn’t even be upset with her for protecting Jesse the way she had. Mae was fierce, and he loved that about her. He had a hard time figuring out why his heart hurt. He found himself wishing he could give her the normal life. Marriage, a family. Hell, he wanted it for them too. Mae seemed to have just adopted a kid. Whether he liked it or not, they were going to become a family. His heart warmed at the thought. None of them had any guarantees, but Mae deserved to be happy, and so did this kid. Actually, so did he; they all did. He smiles as he realises he had something he had not let himself think he could ever have again. And he realises that this time, he wasn’t going to blindly let it go. He was going to face the evil in the world, and he was going to have Mae by his side, if she was willing to take the next step with him.

 

“I don’t think he’s coming with us.” Lilly sighs in disappointment as she stares after the boy with a frown.

 

“Well, good job Winchesters and females. The kid is gone. He did fix all the people caught up in his powers, at least the ones that survived.”

 

“We aim to please.” Lilly smirks, unable to stop herself. She was proud of Jesse’s foresight to set the town straight, before taking off. “I do have to admit I was really hoping he was going to leave you as a toy soldier.”

 

“Aren’t you just a ball full of pleasant horse shit.” Balthazar quips one last time before disappearing from the house.

 

Mae rushes up the stairs, Sam just a few steps behind her, needing to prove that he was really gone. “Jesse?” She whispers, not wanting to wake his parents. She checks behind a few doors quietly before she finds a room that looked like it could belong to a boy. On the twin bed, she found two notes. One addressed to ‘Mom and Dad’ The other addressed to ‘Mae and Lilly’. She picked up the one with her name on it, leaving the second one alone.

 

Sam holds his arms out for her, smiling when she steps into them before she reads the note. “He says he needs time to think,and he doesn’t want to put anyone in extra danger.” She buries her face into Sam’s chest, crying for Jesse and the loss of his childhood, for the burden they had put on his tiny shoulders, and for taking away everyone he loved and everything he knew.

 

“It’s going to be ok Mae. Jesse was a really bright kid.” Sam assures her, as he held her closely, rubbing her back and letting her cry. 

 

“I know. It just- We took everything from him.” Mae shakes her head against Sam’s chest.

 

Sam nods and runs a hand over her hair. “We have to go baby.” He attempts to take a half step back so he can look her in the eyes. When she clings all the harder to him, he simply picks her up. He tucks her into his shoulder, cradling her fully against his chest before he heads back downstairs.

 

“Dean, where’s Lilly?” Sam asks in concern when he sees Dean leaning against the wall.

 

“In the closet. So that’s it? The kid’s really gone?” Dean sighs bringing up a hand to rub the back of his neck, as he looks towards the Littles.

 

In answer, Mae simply holds out the note to him.

 

Dean gently takes the note opening it, his eyes quickly scanning it. “Fair, lots of shit bombs got dropped on him.”

 

“Woah, wait, no fuck you, a few ‘S’ and ‘F’ bombs were not going to ruin that kids night, fuck guys, the kid could handle some shit language.” Lilly defends only hearing half the conversation from where she was finishing cleaning the bloody sigil off the wall in the closet. 

 

Mae sobbed harder against Sam’s chest while he did his best to comfort her. “We need to go. I’m not sure how his parents are still sleeping.”

 

“Alright well my DNA is currently not smudged into this house. We should collect Julia and go.” Lilly sighs as she heads back to the empty sitting room. “Or not. She’s gone. Right, either she’s a ninja or Jesse put her back.”

 

“So everything's cleaned up and it looks like Jesse ran away, awesome, saving people…” Dean sighs, as he heads out the fixed door.

 

“Super.” Lilly grumbles locking the bottom lock, before clicking the Turner’s door shut behind the four of them.

 

Sam slides into the backseat of the Impala, adjusting Mae so she could be buckled in but still lay against him. Dean waits for Lilly to get in before he slides behind the wheel. “Back to the motel we go. We need to be packed and on the road in thirty.”


	35. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still heart sick after losing track of Jesse and feeling betrayed by the Angel Balthazar, our hunters press on.
> 
>  
> 
> And yet, even with their guards up after such a defeat, or was it a victory?
> 
>  
> 
> Weither it was a victory or not the idiots still manage to get into trouble.
> 
>  
> 
> Was there ever a time Lilly wasn't a book worm, able to be tricked by anyone so long as they tempted her with knowledge and alone time?
> 
>  
> 
> No! The answer is no. 
> 
>  
> 
> *Eye roll*
> 
>  
> 
> And Mae needs to learn to trust her powers, for a Fae creature she is so timid.
> 
>  
> 
> *Sigh*
> 
>  
> 
> Like it would be interesteing if they weren't constantly causing me problems and getting me in trouble with Maat.
> 
>  
> 
> -Unsolicited Observations from the God of Wisdom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Attepmting to start the new year off right. :)

81

 

The four of them were back in the car, sitting in contemplative silence after packing up and heading out. Bigs in front, littles in back. This was just the way they always entered the car now; the new norm.

 

“So are we going to talk about how reckless you two both acted?” Dean asks, finally breaking the silence with a frown.

 

“I vote no.” Lilly sighs as she runs her hand through her hair.

 

“You two gave us a heart attack.” Sam adds with his own frown.

 

“Well if one of you wasn’t constantly jamming cholesterol down his throat and the other didn’t suffer from gigantism, maybe you two wouldn't have heart attacks.Which you recovered from wonderfully by the way. Though I’m failin’ ta see how your poor health conditions are our fault.” Lilly deflects as she looks out the window.

 

Mae stays silent as she leans into Sam’s chest; her eyes finally dry as she had cried herself out. She didn’t feel the need to defend herself, or to apologize this time.

 

“I’m serious, that stunt with Balthazar was dangerous. And we still don’t know what happened in the time it took to get us there.” Dean fumes. 

 

“Well, Baltazar locked us in a closet, I made a ward, Mae busted down the door, we found Jesse. Then proceeded to protect Jesse, till he protected us. Then you two showed up. The end.”

 

“The end?” Dean asks skeptically, looking at the disinterested Mae in his rearview mirror. “Anything to add Mae?” 

 

Mae simply shakes her head.

 

“Baby? Are you ok?” Sam asks, leaning his face over hers.

 

“She just didn’t want to be the baby of the family anymore.” Lilly stage whispers to Sam, in attempt to put a smile on Mae’s face. She’s not disappointed as she sees the corners of her sister’s lips twitch.

 

“I’m not going to argue about my actions protecting a child. A scared little boy who tonight got his first glimpse into the world you try so hard to keep us out of.” Mae says firmly, encouraged by Lilly’s I-don't-give-a-damn additude.

 

“You don’t have to Mae. It was just… Disturbing to see you and Lilly disappear from the room so suddenly. I was worried about your safety, and angry at the angel. You did what you thought was right once you realised the situation you were in. You were, well, not alone, but Dean and I weren’t there.” Sam sighs as he looks at Mae. “You made good calls,” He sighs as he looks up into Lilly’s eyes, “Both of you.” 

 

“Thank you, we’re a good team.” Lilly smiles. “Mae’s the leader.”

 

“What?” Dean questions in mock disbelief. “You’re admitting that someone else- That you can follow someone else’s lead?”

 

“Well I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing on hunts, you know that. Of course I’ll take her lead. I’m not suicidal.” Lilly rolls her eyes. Here it was again. She sighs in exasperation.

 

“You don’t always listen to me when we’re working a case or in the middle of a hunt.” 

 

“I don’t? Weird? I dunno. I feel like you need to be questioned sometimes, shit will go to your head.” Lilly comments with a frown. “Like for instance, was there any need to shout your disbelief, I don’t feel like there was.”

 

“Ooohhh, we are talking when we get to the next stop. You’re getting mouthy again.” Dean tells her with a glare.

 

“I’m sorry, when did I stop?” Lilly questions. “I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression.” She continues rolling her eyes at his assessment. “I’ve heard it’s unhealthy to lie to yourself…” She adds as she looks at Dean with a raised brow. “You should really work on that.”

 

“Can we not hear another argument from the Bigs?” Sam asks in disgust.

 

“I’m going to take a nap, the Bigs can get ridiculous.” Mae teases as she rests her ear over Sam’s heart and wraps her arms around him. She was so happy, and grateful, that he wasn’t going to make her explain her actions. It felt like a good step, finally, in the right direction. Trust was a huge part of their lives now, and they all needed to remember that.

 

82

 

“Thanks Bobby. We’ll let you know if we find anything. Uh huh.” Sam flips his phone closed. “So, we’re the closest to a potential case in Nevada. A strange call was put out to the CDC. Bobby said he’d have taken it, but he’s out in Mississippi with Ellen and Jo.”

 

“I’m never going to get use to the two of them hunting. Good thing Bobby’s with them.” Dean says, tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel. His brow furrows. “How did he know we were close to Nevada?”

 

“I text him everyday to let him know how we’re doing.” Mae explains absently as she resettles against Sam.

 

“Right, from when you two jumped the grid, and gave everyone ulcers?” Lilly comments teasingly.

 

“Yep. I’m not letting that happen again. And if he doesn’t get texts, then he knows somethings up. So guys, seriously, if something happens to me, you had better keep texting him.” Mae glares at each of them in turn, not wanting to worry her Godfather like that ever again. “I mean it.”

 

“Aww, she’s so cute when she’s angry.” Dean teases.

 

“I’m not angry,” Mae explains with an all too sweet smile, “I’m serious.”

 

“Oooh, that’s like stage one of harpy mode, I’m tappin’ out.” Lilly says as she leans forward to taps on the dashboard.

 

Sam chuckles as he pulls Mae closer and tucks her against his side. “Just hit the interstate, here navigator.” He passes the map forward to Lilly, their next case already circled.

 

83

 

“That was a nice change.” Mae grins, wrapping her arm through Sam’s as they leave the nicer restaurant, her dark mood completely forgotten after the nice double date the guys had just taken them on. 

 

Sam smiles back down at her, glad he had been able to talk Dean into this little diversion before they dove fully into the case in the morning. “I’m glad you had a good time.”

 

“Ugh…” Dean and Lilly both grunt at the same time. 

 

“I officially hate eating out. I think I prefer gettin’ it to go.” Lilly continues her brows furrowing together as she thought about the waitress drooling over the brothers, like Mae and her hadn’t been present.  

 

Sam gives Mae a concerned look as she stiffens against his arm, her body giving the slightest shiver. “What’s wrong Mae? Are you getting cold?” He slides their arms apart to pull her closer and wrap his arm around her shoulders to help warm her up.

 

Mae turns her head and looks over her shoulder. The man that had just past her turns and gives her a small wink and flirty smile before he points at her with his middle and pointer finger, like a mock gun. He clicks his tongue around a tooth pick obnoxiously before he heads into the bar next to the restaurant they had just come from.

 

Mae shakes her head and turns to look up at Sam as they continue walking to the car, convinced that she must have imagined the terror she felt rolling off him. “I just thought for a moment that someone felt scared. Must be my imagination, the guy certainly didn’t look terrified.” She smiles and shrugs.

 

“Weird? Maybe he was just runnin’ late or some shit?” Dean shrugs, wanting to put Mae’s unease to rest as the four of them reach the Impala.

 

“He seemed rather, uh…” Mae trails off as she shakes her head. “Nevermind, let’s just find a place to crash for the night. You guys have a job to do in the morning.” She changes the subject with a smile as she slides into the backseat of the car.

 

“True enough, I still need to clean it.” Lilly grumbles, trying to reign in her jealousy from the last two hours of Dean being a piece of meat.  

 

Sam pulls Mae next to him, bending slightly to press his lips to her ear, “Do I even want to know how the guy seemed?” He breaths, sending small shivers of pleasure through her.

 

“Tease.” Mae accuses him, narrowing her eyes slightly.

 

“Speaking of tease, can we get two rooms tonight?” Lilly asks curiously, every intention of reclaiming her territory.

 

“But it’s draining to put the wards up.” Dean points out.

 

“So?” Lilly persist with a frown.

 

“So, how are we going to do anything with a room of our own if you’re going to pass out as soon as you get it clean? This sounds like only Mae and Sam get anything out of it.” Dean continues, the smile tugging at the corners of his lips betraying the tease.

 

Lilly scoffs, completely offended and oblivious to his teasing. “I have more stamina than that Cowboy, give me some credit.”   
  


“Yes Mam.” Dean says, fully smiling now as they pull into the entrance of a hopeful place to stay.

 

“Thanks Dean.” Mae calls out from the back, glad to get at least one night where she and Sam could just sleep alone.

 

“Hey, your welcome.” Lilly says turning in her seat as she glared at Mae.

 

“Yeah, but Dean approved it. And he’s the president of our club.” Mae leans forward to pat him on the shoulder.

 

Dean sits up straighter as he parks the Impala, happy that at least Mae knew how it worked.

 

“Gods, ugh, stop encouragin’ that shit Mae. He can barely walk through doors as is.” Lilly scoffs as she turns back to glare at a gloating Dean.

 

“Hey, be nice. You heard the girl, I’m the president.” Dean points out, grabbing the keys before he opened the door to slide out.

 

“Ugh.” Sam and Lilly both groan, in frustration. “Mae!” They both accuse.

 

“What?!” Mae grins as she too slides out her door, willing to run to him for protection if need be.

 

“I call for a structure change, like a real democracy. Fuck this hierarchy bullshit, Dean doesn’t need more sycophancy.” Lilly continues shutting the door behind her.

 

“Oh you think so huh?” Dean asks, eyes narrowed as he gathers their bags.

 

“No, I know so.” Lilly comments dryly, picking up one of her backpacks. She turns to her sister. “Mae you need to stop, you’re making me look worse.”

 

“I agree with Lilly, I feel like there’s more of us, we should start putting it to votes.” Sam chimes in, teasing Dean while he grabs Mae and his bags.

 

“No this is not debatable, I’m the oldest, and have the most experience. I’m the  leader.”

 

“Eh…” Lilly adds one hand out shaking it in a so-so motion. 

 

“Lilly, he is the oldest, you can’t count Ahmes.” Mae shakes her head

 

“If that’s how you feel Mae, we can always discard your vote, fae babe.” Lilly grumbles.

 

Mae narrows her eyes at her sister. “Low blow Lilly. So very low.” 

 

“Okay, we are gettin’ separate rooms right?” Sam asks, looking at Dean. “And Lilly stop calling Mae a baby.” Sam sighs as he shakes his head at Lilly and Mae’s argument.

 

“Are you uncomfortable with it cause I’m callin’ her a baby, or cuz  it’s makin’ you feel pretty pedo?” Lilly questions her eyes sparkling with amusement. “And why do you need to ask for permission by the way, thought you two were equals?”

 

“I was asking if that was really the plan Lilly.” Sam glares at her, before he shakes his head. “Nevermind now, Mae and I are getting our own room tonight. We have some things we need to talk about.”

 

“What? What did I do?” Mae asks, the smile on her face giving away her lack of actual concern.

 

“Uh huh.” Sam mock frowns. 

 

Dean tilt his head to the side in consideration. “What a coincidence, Lilly and I also need to talk about things.”

 

“I feel like their talk is going to go a lot more smoothly, and I feel like ours is going to be more of an argument.” Lilly pouts as she grabs a second backpack.

 

“You’re so adorable when you make assumptions.” Dean says mockingly.

 

84

 

“The last ward is up.” Lilly informs Mae and Sam with a smile before she exits their room, clicking the door closed behind her to give them privacy.

 

“The littles all settled down?” Dean asks with a small grin, not looking up from his gun cleaning at the table.

 

“Yes Tex. The kids are settled.” Lilly comments, rolling her eyes as she walks over to the table and sits down. She takes the clip out of her hair and brushes it out while waiting for Dean to finish putting his guns back together.

 

“Good.” Dean nods as he finishes reassembling his shotgun on the towel before capping the gun oil he’d been using. He walks over to the cheap alarm radio, switching the music on. “I owe you a talking to. But, I guess I’ll be content with fucking you senseless.” He says smugly.

 

“You would have lost anyway. I’m glad you’re learning.” Lilly teases as she puts down her brush. “Really shows old dogs can learn new tricks.” She taunts, her golden eyes shimmering with mirth.

 

Dean walks over to her and picks her up under her elbows and walks with her over to the bed. “Is that a fact?” He asks, shoving her into the mattress.

 

“Oh, I think so.” Lilly challenges as she sits up, her fingers already working his belt buckle. She was intent on making good on her earlier declaration to herself. She was set on reminding the man standing in front of her what she had to offer.

 

Dean chuckles at her eagerness before pulling the belt fully away from his jeans. He pounces on her, and before she can realise what he’s doing he manages to pull her tee off; her bra quickly following. He takes the belt and twists it expertly around her wrists, binding them together above her head.

 

“This is new.” Lilly smiles in amusement.  “But you’re puttin’ a literal kink in my plans.” She adds with a pout.

 

“Let me know if you want to stop.” Dean grins with a wink, as he pulls her towards the headboard of their bed. Once he has her in place, he uses the tie he had conveniently left there to secure her arms.

 

“That’s going to be a bitch to iron the creases back into...” Lilly whines petulantly as she tugs on the belt and tie experimentally. She frowns when it barely budges. Her eyes land on a fully clothed Dean. “This doesn’t seem fair, you’re still dressed...”

 

“It’s my old one. And you’ll be fine.” Dean tells her, running a hand down her arm, tracing her side until he got to the waist of her skirt. “I don’t think we’ll be needing this.” He breathes on her stomach, hooking his fingers into the material, slowly pulling the skirt and panties in a swift moment. 

 

“Dean, seriously tit for tat, this isn’t fair.” Lilly complains struggling more earnestly against the belt and tie. Her skin flushes with obvious embarrassment and arousal.

 

“I don’t know Hufflepuff, I’m thinking that I want this for all future birthdays and christmases. This is hot.” Dean smirks, pleased with himself. He leans forward to plant a kiss against her hip. “Besides, I could tickle you and get away with it right now.”

 

“I will murder you in your sleep.” Lilly responds darkly as she narrows her eyes at the threat.

 

“Oh I know,  it’s the only thing stoppin’ me from givin’ in to those urges.” Dean chuckles, moving up to kiss around her belly button dip. Enjoying the quick intake of breath that follows his action, as his mouth brushes kisses along her midsection. 

 

“You still have clothes on.” Lilly whines as she watches him with a pout on her lips.

 

“Yeah, I’d ask you to do something about it, but you seem a bit tied up right now.” Dean teases her, brushing his hands softly over the swell of her breasts. He chuckles again at her light moan, wondering if this was a good time to tell her that he noticed how jealous she got at dinner. 

 

“You’re fuck’n hilarious.” Lilly breathes out huskily.

 

“So, I have to wonder…” Dean smiles as he runs his hands down her sides, lingering when his hands cup her hips.

 

“Mmm?” Lilly murmurs, enjoying his hand on her.

 

Dean lets his hands continue down her legs as he settles between them. “Are you going to get jealous of every girl that tries to make eyes at me?” He leans down and kisses her firmly, his hands spreading her thighs wider. His eyes bright with amusement when he notes she’s already wet. He chuckles as he bends down and probes her with his tongue.

 

The barb on Lilly’s tongue dies quickly as she thrusts her head back into the pillow, her back arching and for a moment she wasn’t sure if she was trying to angle more into or away from him. “Fuck you Dean.” She pants out in frustration. He was being ballsy tonight, not that she was really complaining.

 

“I believe I am fucking you.” Dean teases with a wink before he continues his attention. He absolutely loved the way she moved under him, and the sounds she made.

 

85

 

Sam wasted no time once Lilly left, he practically ripped Mae out of her clothes, his own quickly following in her own fevered need. He loved making love to her, loved when they took things slow; this was not one of those times. Both of them seemed to realise that they had just barely escaped that dangerous situation with the demon and Balthazar, and both were eager to take solace in the arms of the other. This was another side he loved about her. The burning passion, the fire that was Mae. They didn’t make love the first four times, they fucked. But even fucking was filled with love and tenderness between them. By the time they fell into the bed, flushed and heaving from exertion, Sam knew he wanted nothing more in the world than for Mae to be his home. He found himself smiling wildly at her.

 

Mae props herself up on her elbow, her skin nearly luminescent in her afterglow. “What?” She asks, smiling back at him.

 

“I was wondering how you felt about marriage.” Sam breathed out his chest still heaving from exertion. 

 

“Marriage in general or…?” Mae asks confused.

 

“I mean you and marriage. We’ve never really talked about it, I was just curious?” Sam questions.

 

Mae chuckles and falls onto her back, wiggling in the bed until she was right next to him. “It’s silly. You’re going to laugh at me.” She says timidly, turning her head away from him.

 

“Silly?” Sam prompts, his brows knitted together in thought. He adjusts in bed to pull her closer to him, so his arm was draped around her shoulder. He begins tracing light, mindless patterns on her arm. “I want to know Mae, I promise I won’t laugh.”

 

Mae slowly turns back to look at him. “I’ve always wanted to get married. Lilly used to tease me about it all the time. I mean, I’ve never wanted normal, but, a wedding, a husband. A person to share the rest of my life with, to have a deep connection to. Yeah, I want that.” She admits slowly before she looks into his eyes with a smile. “I think we have that.” 

 

“That’s not silly Mae, I swear sometimes you're so adorably ridiculous.” Sam breathes leaning down to kiss the top of her head. Though he was slightly curious if them moving in was when Lilly had stopped her teasing. The little hypocrite.

 

Mae smiles up at him, trailing kisses and nips along his jaw. “What about you? What do you think about marriage?” She asks before she moves down to trail burning heat across his chest.

 

“I’ve always liked the idea. You know, if I found the right woman. This is my life, I’m a hunter. I tried once to get out and be normal. That ended disastrously, and I swore I’d never drag anyone else into this world with me.” Sam chuckles darkly, “And then I met you. And you walked so readily into this world, and you’ve never looked back. You’re so amazing Mae.” He smiles as he maneuvers the two of them so his body was covering her’s. His mouth working the contours of her throat.

 

“Are you telling me you’ve thought about us getting married?” Mae asks quietly. She runs her hands slowly up his back, dragging her nails.

 

“A little, it’s certainly a thought I’ve entertained.” Sam whispers against her throat, his own hands slowly exploring her body. 

 

“Me too.” Mae tells him honestly, glad to know he might also want that for them. “I know we could make it work.” She says with a smile, slyly attempting to roll him to the side.

 

Sam smiles at her before grabbing the side of her hip as he slides to his back. 

 

Mae raises an eyebrow at him, “You let me win?”

 

“Oh yeah. I’d love to see you dance above me baby.” Sam comments with his hands on her hips as he enjoys touching her.

 

“Oh Hero, the things I plan to do to you.” Mae whispers seductively, her voice humming with anticipation. 

 

86

 

Michael found himself walking around a strange looking room filled with books and stairs, wondering where Samara could be hiding. The girl was a talented dreamwalker, and seemed to be adept at identifying when she was dreaming, and when things didn’t belong. It had irritated him that he had been unable to penetrate her dreams for the past few weeks. He once again took the form of Dean, hoping that the familiar face would get him close enough to talk to her. Surely Zachariah was exaggerating her attitude due to his own failure to contain the Winchester boy and his female. He closes his eyes, letting his senses range out until he found her. His brow furrows as concern floods him. “Something is wrong.” He narrows his eyes before he takes flight, searching for the troublesome girl. 

 

Michael stops short when he finds a small, too pale child with short raven hair pulled back in two haphazard braids. Her golden brown eyes were starkly dark in her pale face, though her baby cheeks were rosy with excitement as her eyes devoured the book in her lap. Occasional peels of laughter ring out as she reads a particularly funny part, but she frowns when the book she was reading catches fire. 

 

“Aww, it got writted.” She sighs as she drops the ashes, rubbing them from her palm before she picks up the next book on the pile. She opens it before she goes back to her curled position after securing her dictionary next to her.

 

Michael spends a few moments just watching her. She felt like the girl that was meant for him, but she looked to be no more than six or seven; her too big clothes were making it hard to determine her age. “Hello little one.” He finally greets, confused by the situation in front of him. He slowly walks a few feet closer to her.

 

The child starts, dropping her book in surprise as she stares at the intruder in her sanctuary. Her rosy cheeks burn with her blush. Her brown eyes open wide in amazement as she takes in the attractive winged man in front of her before she scurries out of her cushion and hides behind it. “Are you a muwtant? You’we pwetty...Men awen’t sup’osd to be pwetty.” She states hesitantly as she peeks out from behind the overstuffed cushion. 

 

Michael tilts his head at the question before he realizes that she was staring at his wings. “Ah. My wings. No Samara, I am not a mutant. I’m an angel. Your guardian angel actually.”

 

“Angel’s don’t exist...And I cewtainly don’t have one. You’s a muwtant, like me.” Lilly huffs, her eyes narrowed. “I have a Lowd and Lady, and Ahmes tells me about them all the time. Does she know you'we here?”

 

Michael gives her a warm smile, Dean’s face lighting up in strangely familiar ways that she both recognized and had never seen before. “I’m sorry Samara, I lost you for a little bit. But, I promise, I am your angel. You were meant to live with me.”

 

“I’s not cwistin. I’s a prewstes in twaining!” Lilly argues staunchly, losing her grasp on the words with her determination.

 

“No Samara, that’s who you were in a past life. Something has happened to you, do you know where you are?” He asks gently, still unsure of why he was speaking to a younger version of the woman he had met earlier.

 

“I’s at the Hen’dersin’s, they’re gwoss.”

 

“Who are they?”

 

“Their the new famwy this week.” Lilly answers with a roll of her eyes. 

 

“How old are are you Samara?” Michael asks with a smile, walking a bit closer to her, but pretending to pay attention to the books on a shelf near her.

 

“I’s seven.” Lilly huffs in obvious exasperation. 

“Wow, a whole seven. Practically a young adult.” Michael pulls a book down and walks to sit down a few feet away from her.

 

“I’s keep tell’n them that… Maybe you can tell them. They are buttmunches.” Lilly frowns with a crinkle of her nose. “They has to listen to you.”

 

“They don’t have any books do they?”

 

“No.” Lilly pouts, as she slowly moved out from behind her seat her eyes trained on his wings. They looked so soft she wanted to touch one.

 

Michael frowns, tsking as he opens the book and pretends to start reading. “That’s too bad.”

 

The minute it appears like he’s no longer paying attention to her, she quickly darts over and strokes one of his feathers before she plucks one out. 

 

Michael feels no pain from her actions, but jumps anyway. “Ow, you could have just asked Samara.” He tells her, a small smile still on his face.

 

“It’s a dweam, if you didn’t want to get a fweater prucked you shouldna had them out. And it’s my dweam, you can’t tell me what to do in it.” Lilly defends as she steps away her fingers stroking the soft feather.

 

“Of course. So, I’m guessing you really really like to read, but that you don’t get to very often.”

 

“No… People wuin books.” Lilly frowns before she starts looking over the feather.  “This fweather is my size. I think Lady Maat and Lowd Foth have fwethers too.”

 

“Have you ever met them?” Michael asks, seemingly going back to his book.

 

“No, but Ahmes tells me about them.” Lilly comments still playing with the feather.

 

“Have you ever heard of an archangel?” Michael asks.

 

“Blech. Sum of the family’s talk a’bout em’ but it’s wong.” Lilly frowns as she bends the feather.

 

Michael chuckles at her determination, “You know, I have a big library that no one ever gets to visit. There are thousands of books in there that no one has touched in years.”

 

“Weally? Wike weal books? Not jus’ maginary ones?” Lilly asks with wide eyes.

 

“All kinds of books. I happen to really love reading too. But my job keeps me very busy.”

 

“Adul’ books are boing’, I wike fic’tin.” Lilly pouts.

 

“Have you ever read Treasure Island? Or the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?” Michael asks absently, turning the page of his book.

 

“Duh, they’s cwassics’” Lilly rolls her eyes.

 

“Well, I have lots of books like those. Fiction books are my favorite too.”

 

“Weally?” Lilly asks as she climbs up the side of the cushion, rolling onto it before adjusting herself with her feather in hand.

 

“Yep. And since I’m supposed to be your guardian anyway, I’m guessing it’s a good thing we both enjoy reading.”

 

“I has lots of gaurd’in’s…” Lilly says with a surprisingly dark look for a seven year old. “They all suck. I don’t want a gaurd’in.”

 

“Well, I don’t want to give you the wrong idea. I work a lot. You’d have to stay in my home. But that is where the library’s at.”

 

“Weally? So I’s just stay in the libwary and no one would tawk to me? I can be awone?” Lilly asks her eyes lighting up slightly at the thought.

 

“Well, I guess. Except for meals, because you can’t eat in the library.” Michael looks at her a bit sternly.

 

“Duh, books awe sacrid.” Lilly scoffs.

 

“I think you and I could get along. I just have to come find you so I can tell the Hendersons that they are a poor fit to be your family.”

 

“Hen’riksson, Hen-rik-sins, son’s….ugh Hen-dick-sons?” Lilly’s face screws in frustration before she sighs. “They has stupid name.” She mumbles, her face red as she was obviously upset with her mispronunciation.

 

“The Hendricksons? I agree, that name sounds gross.” Michael uses some of her colloquialisms. 

 

Lilly nods. “They are gwoss.”

 

“Can you do me a favor Samara?” Michael asks, leaning in a bit closer to her, looking around like he was about to let her in on a secret.

 

“Kay?” Lilly tilts her head to the side.

 

“When you wake up, look around for a city name, or an address. Memorise it for me, ok?” 

 

“O’tay.” Lilly nods in agreeance.

 

“Good. Then I’ll be able to come take you home, adopt you so you never have to move around again.”

 

“O’tay.” Lilly beams, crawling out of her chair and hesitantly walks over to him wrapping her arms around him. She always knew she was a mutant, it’s just what made sense... And now she was going to be adopted by a mutant that liked reading too. A pretty mutant.

 

The hug takes Michael by surprise, but he automatically leans down to return it, happy for whatever turn the events had taken. 

 

For this moment, she belonged to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O.o  
> Lilly is a mini in her sleep! Well that doesn't bode well.
> 
> We're trying something new guys, summaries from Thoth's perspective. What do you think?
> 
> Also, what are you thinking after reading the chapter? Feeling? Please let us know, detailed as much or as little as you like. Your feedback helps us inprove our story by letting us work on our plot, flow, character development, descriptions and dialog. 
> 
> We want to improve and bring you better quality fan fiction :)
> 
> Please help us!
> 
> Lots of love, peace, prosperity and time to read for the new year, our wish for you.


	36. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I take my eye off them for one moment… Just one. I am after all still gathering information about Mae and her heritage, the damnable prophecy that they’ve found themselves tangled up in, Lilly’s quest to modify her body beyond angel repair, and don’t get me started on their pet angle searching for his father… It’s laughable, but I made an oath to pursue every possible answer, so I’ve been having to assist that idiot as well.
> 
> Seriously though, how are they children? Babies?
> 
> Amun Ra help us if Maat finds out-
> 
> Shit...
> 
> -Unsolicited Observations from a God of Wisdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously though guys, buckle up. We had a lot of fun writing about the misadventures of these characters once turned into children. We really really really reeeeeeaaaallllyyyy hope you enjoy!

 

87

 

Lilly slowly wakes up from her strange dream about the pretty mutant that was going to adopt her. She rolls over, expecting to fall to the floor, only to be meet with more mattress. Her little nose scrunches up when she realizes how sticky she is. 

 

“Ew, I’s icky.” She whines.

 

“Shhh, Sammy. Sleeping. Go watch cartoons or something.” A boy next to her says as he rolls over to his other side, exposing his bare back to her.

 

“O’tay?” Lilly sighs, as she crawls off the bed carefully. She scurries to find the bathroom. She didn’t want to get yelled at for sharing a bed with a boy. She was confused about when and how she left the Hendricksons, but didn’t bother thinking about it as she untangled several strings of metal off her arms and neck. 

 

Her thoughts scatter as she finds the shower. Bottles of different soaps were lining the wall of the new tub and her eyes widen in awe at the sight. She quickly figures out the knob and steps into the shower, opening and sniffing each of the bottles before she begins showering. 

 

They all smelled so pretty, so she uses a little bit of everything. She didn’t want to take much, just enough so she could wash away the glue that was making her sticky. Her eyes open wide when she spots a big drawing on her stomach. She frowns as she picks up a red poof and pours several of the bottles contents on it before she begins scrubbing at the mark harshly in an attempt to remove it.

 

“Sammy! I said watch cartoons, not play in the fucking shower, it smells like a girl in here. What the hell did you get into kid?”

 

“The howse wules here ah weiwd. Boy’s awn’t suppos’d to be in the bathwoom wiv girls, you goin’ get us in twouble...” Lilly warns as she continued to scrub at the mark, with growin’ concern when it didn’t seem to come off.

 

“Aw hell, who are you?” Dean demands, his bright green eyes widening as he realizes he’s not talking to who he thought he was. He pulls the curtain back to find a girl in the shower.

 

“Samawa?” Lilly huffs in annoyance as she continues scrubbing at the mark. What the hell did they use, sharpie? She was going to get in trouble. Stupid jerks.

 

“Shit Dad, dropping people off without warning. How am I supposed to know what to do.” Dean grumbles as he turns when he realized she was naked and grabs a towel off the counter. “And what do you mean house rules?” Dean asks as he holds the towel out for her.

 

“You has ah dad?” Lilly asks with a frown. “Weiwd... I usually don’t get put in those homes...” She says her head tilted to the side.

 

“What are you talking about?” Dean asks, covering his eyes with his free hand.

 

“Do you has the metell sponges?” Lilly asks instead of answering him.

 

“Rinse off, get out of the shower and dry off.” Dean snaps at her. What the hell was dad doing? “I have to find my little brother.”

 

“But I’s not clean.” Lilly whines. “Sumone colowed me…Stupid jokes.” She grumbles.

 

“It’s fine, just, rinse off and get out. Come on chick, I have to find my brother. He’s my responsibility.” Dean shakes the towel at her impatiently, noting that apparently this girl was now also part of that responsibility as well.

 

“But…” Lilly frowns before she thinks better of it. She could look for the sponges herself. “O’tay.” She sighs, not wanting to argue with the boy as she finishes washing off. She frowns at the prank on her stomach. She wasn’t sure how it hadn’t come off with the intense scrubbing she had just done. As she’s glaring at it she notices blood welling around the area with a frown. “Ut-oh.” She frowns.

 

“No. No ut-oh. What uh-oh?” Dean slowly pulls his hand down from his face, not liking the tone. It reminded him of the time Sammy had found Dad’s box and played with it; breaking it. It made his stomach drop. “I always end up in trouble with uh-ohs.”

 

“I’s couldn’t get it off…” Lilly frowns as she pulled back the curtain back hesitantly, the blood dotting the mark starting to drip. “I’s sowwy, I don’t want you in twouble.”  She finds herself looking at the boy in the too big shirt. 

 

Dean takes a breath, noting the odd marking on her lower belly, and the blood. “I can fix it, don’t worry.” He tells her as wraps the towel around her before he pulls her from the shower. “You’re gonna be ok. Does it hurt?” 

 

“No-ah, but its gunna get infect’d an be gwoss.” Lilly whines as she wraps her arms around him. “You has ah missing bwofer?” She frowns awkwardly kicking her feet. 

 

Dean walks with her to the bed, and sets her down gently. “I’ll get it cleaned and we’ll find a band-aid for it.” He tells her with a frown. “And yeah, he was here when we went to bed last night.” He rummages around the room, looking for his bag; but frowns when he only finds bags he’s unfamiliar with.

 

“I can bandage myself, go find yur bwofer.” Lilly frowns as she kicks her feet. 

 

“What the hell is goin on?” Dean asks in frustration as he dumps the bags out. He finally finds a strange looking box labeled first aid.

 

“Was ah matter…” Lilly frowns when she realizes she doesn’t know the boy’s name. Viola and Ahmes always told her that was important. “Wats yur name?” Lilly asks wiggling back to the floor keeping her towel up with some difficulty, so she could go over and pat the older boys back. “Is’kay.”

 

“I’m Dean Winchester. What’s your’s.”

 

“Hi Dean, I’m Samawa Lilly.... ” Lilly responds with a small smile.

 

“Lilly is a weird last name.” Dean rolls his eyes as he cracks the box open, the contents confusing him.

 

“I’s no last name… I’s Samawa Lilly.” Lilly frowns as she kicks the hem of her towel out from under her feet. 

 

“So, here’s the first aid kit. You can read right?” Dean takes it back to the bed.

 

“Yes.” Lilly comments with narrowed eyes, obviously offended.

 

“Awesome, get over here and clean that, I’ve got to go find Sammy.”

 

“O’tay.” Lilly nods before carefully pulling herself to the top of the bed. She starts going through the kit, frowning when the handwriting on them seemed vaguely familiar. She begins mumbling instructions, reminding herself what Ahmes had gone over in arabic as she opens and sniffs each bottle curiously. She dabs several on the mark before she covers it with a large bandage.

 

Dean looks around the unfamiliar room. He could have sworn last night they had said goodbye to Uncle Bobby and left with Dad on another hunt. This room didn’t look like the one they had been dropped off in though. For one thing, that door. He didn’t remember a connecting door. In fact, Dad thought they were a bad idea. He walks over and eyes the door for a moment before he notices it’s not locked. “Sammy?” He calls out as he raps his closed fist against the door.

 

“Dean!” Sam calls back before the door swings open and he rushes in, naked and hand in hand with another young girl who was equally clothless and currently crying. “Dean! I woke up and you weren’t there and this girl was sleeping with me, and her name's Lizzy, but she won’t stop crying, and I don’t know what to do and I don’t know what’s goin’ on.” He explains quickly.

 

Lilly looks up from the bed and with a sigh scoots off the edge of it. This was the strangest home she’d ever been dropped at. Where were the adults? She carefully walks over to the other crying girl and the found brother and hugs the girl. ”Sssh. Hey, it’s otay.” She brings up one hand to stroke the girl’s hair. 

 

“I... want... my... Mommy... and... Daddy.” Mae barely manages to scream between sobs.

 

“Oh… o’tay, um… They is not here, did you has a bad dweam?” Lilly responds carefully, choosing her words deliberately. She’d learned very quickly that it never went well when she told crying kids in the past that their parents weren’t coming back. She remembered very distinctly the slap that Mrs. Daisy had given her. She hated it when the new kids had such a hard time adjusting. They usually cried for days.

 

“No, I just want… My mommy… I’s scared... I talked to… An angel. He… was… worried.” Mae hiccups as tears fall from her bright blue green eyes into her blondish brown curls matted to the side of her face. 

 

“Weiwd,” Lilly says as she continues to rub the other girls back, remembering her own ‘angel’ dream.. “Is’kay. Sshh. Dean has a dad, we’re stayin’ wif fem right now. It’ll be o’tay.” She frowns as she looks at the girl. “Your name’s Lizzy?” 

 

The girl nods, and Lilly realizes that she was still holding Sammy’s hand.

 

“Right, ok. Our Dad is like a superhero and he saves people he like saved you two from and dropped you off here for me to watch.” Dean says, puffing his chest out in his best adult impersonation. 

 

“You’we dads a superhero?” Lilly asks looking at Dean in awe. “Oh, maybe he’s the muwtant I met last night.”  She says excitedly as she looks at the other two kids. Her eyes narrowed at the dark marks. “Hey…you two have the same mark….Dean you’ah jewk, it won’t come off.”

 

“You three, put these on. Right now.” Dean orders, ignoring the annoying loud girl as he picks up some of the white shirts he’d found in one of the bags, and tosses one at each of them. “And, I didn’t do nothin’.” He frowns at Lilly. “I have the same mark, same place Sammy has it.” 

 

“That’s not mine... Whewe’s our bags?” Lilly frowns looking around for her trash bag. “I don’t wanna get in twouble.”

 

“Look, I have no clue what’s going on here, but these are the things we have. Dressed, now.” Dean orders doing his best to use his Dad’s orders voice. “This is a hotel room, and it’s just us, you’re not gettin in trouble. Put the damn shirt on Sam- Sarma- Wow that’s hard to say… Lilly, put the shirt on Lilly.”

 

Lilly frowns at the boy disapprovingly, but does as he says. She tosses it on over her head before she lets the towel go, and frowns as the bottom of the shirt pools at her feet. 

 

Lilly let about a small grumble before she turns to Sam and Mae, who were still holding hands and looking at the far to large shirts in confusion. She lets out a resigned sigh before she leaves Dean to deal with the disobeying kids. 

 

Instead she walks over to the emptied contents Dean had spread across the floor in his haste to find the first aid kit and clothes. She shakes her head and starts refolding the clothes and packing away the other strewed contents. 

 

“Sammy, clothes!” Dean shouts again.

 

“Dean, be nice.” Sam glares up at his brother. “She’s scared,” His lips pucker into a sheepish frown, “And she’s not letting go.”

 

Dean grumbles under his breath as he walks over to Mae, and takes the shirt he had tossed to her. He gently pulls it down over her head and guides her free hand through the sleeve before he finally looks down at her. “Look Lizzy, I promise Imma take care of you. But I need you to listen to me, ok?”

 

Mae’s lip trembles as she sniffles, but she nods her head and lets go of Sammy’s hand.

 

Sam uses the opportunity to also get the offered shirt on. “Dean, what’s goin’ on?” He asks, smiling when Mae grabs his hand again. 

Dean smiles and ruffles the girl’s hair. “I have no idea Sammy. Dad’s not here, and we all have the same marks on us, and spaz over there tried to wash it off. I’m not telling her about her back, and nobody else better tell her about her back either.”

 

“Whas wrong with her back?” Mae asks with watery eyes.

 

“She just has more marks on her back, like the one you had here.” Sammy points where he had seen her mark on her belly.

 

“Oh. O’tay. I has a mark on my back too.” Mae offers. “I’m not a’pose to talk about it. ”

 

“Can I see it?” Dean asks with a small smile, trying to learn everything about their situation he could so when Dad called he would be able to fill him in.

 

Mae looks to Sammy for confirmation nodding her head and mumbling the words ‘O’tay.” At his reassuring smile.

 

Dean turns her and moves the neck of her way-too-large -top away, looking at a strange mark that he had never seen before. “Okay, thanks Lizzy. You two go play with Lilly, and I’m going to see if I can call Uncle Bobby.”

 

“I has ah Uncle Bobby too!” Mae chirps happily, tugging on Sam to go play with the stuff in the other room. She had seen colored pencils and paper.

 

“Um…” Lilly frowns as she looks over at the older boy. “Dean, is your dad the punishah?” She asks hesitantly as she rubs her arms, uncomfortable with the amount of guns currently laying in the bag at her feet and sure she was somehow going to get in trouble over it.

 

“What?” Both boys ask; Dean amused and Sam confused.

 

“Dat’s a wot of bad things....” Lilly continues as she shifts in discomfort.

 

“Oh, maybe Dad left some of his weapons behind this time.” Dean’s brow furrows as he looks up.

 

“Some?” Lilly asks her tone wavering in a mixture of awe and fear. 

 

“Yeah… Let’s not touch those. Let me get em” Dean shakes his head as he walks over to the bag she was pointing at. “Dad trains us to use these, but uh, I don't think girls should be touching them.” He frowns and begins collecting the guns and knives. 

 

“Um, yous dad just left bad stuff out?” Lilly asks as she moves on to the next bag a lot more hesitantly. She wanted her blanket, and was beginning to grow worried that she couldn’t find it. This home was scary. Where was Viola and why wasn’t Ahmes talking to her? Had she done something wrong? 

 

“Maybe he had to go real fast or something. Did he say anything to you when he dropped you off?” Dean picks the duffle bag packed with hunter gear up and moves it to the table.

 

“Um he said he was doptin’ me...Or somethin’ and fere were books, and no peewple.” Lilly explains as she begins digging through a grey backpack, and starts pulling dark clothes out of it.

 

“You don’t have a family?” Dean asks her with a frown. The thought of having a sister was not a bad feeling, but he knew it meant he was going to have to be the one to take care of her. And maybe the other one too. “Be quiet for a moment, I’m going to try calling our Uncle. He’ll know what’s going on.” He turns to the phone on the bedside table

 

“O’tay.” Lilly nods her head as she starts sorting the random objects from the bag. She turns back to look at the staggering pile behind her. She starts to get frustrated, how was all that in this bag? She picks it from the bottom and just spills the contents onto the floor. She starts walking backwards, leaving a trail of clothes in her wake. She tilts her head to the side before she opens the bag wider and shoves her head in. There was no way all these clothes and blankets could fit. She bends further and further over the bag with curiosity. “Viola?” She calls out into the odd bag curiously. “Aw we’s playin’ a game?” She asks with a frown. “I’s fink I found yous clofes.”

 

“Hey Uncle Bobby, it’s Dean. We’re um, I have no idea, but the number is, uh,” He reaches across the table to find their call back number, he reads it outloud twice. “So, we don’t know where dad is, and there are these two girls-”

 

“Shiiiiiiit!” Lilly cries out as she falls head first into a backpack landing with an oomph. “Ow!” She grumbles as she pulls herself to stand up in the fabric. “Viola!” She cries out, as she looks around with a frown. She looks up to the ceiling of the room and lets out a cry. “Viola, I’s sorry! I’s no like this game!” She cries as she throws her arms out to keep the bag from pushing against her. She starts breathing faster as the bag shifts under her hands. In a panic she struggles to get out. The sensation of being in an enclosed and suffocating place was overwhelming her as she screams. “Viola! I’s sowwy!” She cries as she begins to hyperventilate. “I can’t bweathe! I can’t bweathe! Gods I’s gonna die! It’s eating me! Viola!” She cries out in fear as her lungs start burning painfully and she begins coughing as she gasped for air.

 

“Shit, Lilly!” Dean shouts, throwing the phone on the bed. “What the hell?” He rushes to the bag, looking down into it in confusion when he sees her standing in the bag with at least three feet between her and the top.

 

Sam and Mae come running into the room, both concerned and scared by the shouting. 

 

Mae trips over her shirt and lands at Dean’s feet. “Owie.”

 

Sam pulls Mae up from the floor while glaring at Dean, who had apparently shoved Lilly into a bag. “Weally, she’s ah girl Dean.”

 

“Um… What is this?” A strange voice asks calmly.

 

Mae jumps and screams, pulling at Sammy as she tries to get away from the presence of the tall, odd looking stranger now in the room with them. His unexpected appearance was just another terrifying part of this strange day. 

 

Sammy moves to stand in front of her protectively as he looked to his brother with fear in his eyes. “Dean?! What is that!?” 

 

Dean runs for the guns on the table the minute the strange man appears in the room with them. “Get her to safety Sammy!” Dean commands as he picks up the first gun his hands land on. He quickly checks it for bullets, finding it strange that he was unfamiliar with the model.

 

“Out! Out! Out! Out! Pwease!” Lilly cries out loudly, her voice reaching a crescendo only a young girl can reach. 

 

Thoth walks over to the voice coming from the bag on the ground, “Lilly?” He questions with a raised eyebrow. He picks up the bag and disappears.

 

“Shit, Dad’s gonna kill me.” Dean slams the gun back on the table

 

“Wha’ where’s Lilly?” Mae asks as tears begin to descend down her face again, terrified about what just happened.

 

“Don’t cry Lizzy. Dean will make it all better. He’s the best.” Sammy pulls the smaller girl into a hug.

 

“I want my mommy!” Mae cries out in fear.

 

Dean’s head tilts to the side when he hears an unfamiliar sound. “Shhhhhhhh, I hear something.” He orders as he makes his way to the second room. He looks around, following the strange sound until he finds a weird pager that was singing. He picks it up, fumbling with it before he finally opens it. He furrows his brow when he hears a voice coming from it. 

 

The two younger kids follow him in fear and confusion.

 

“Mae! Mae? Hello. Can you hear me? I hate this thing. What is wrong? Mae? I can hear breathing.” Castiel states.

 

Dean looks at it, making the connection that it must be like a walkie talkie or something. “Uh, hello? Who is this?”

 

“Who is this? Where is Mae?” 

 

“Do you know a Mae?” Dean asks the girl clinging to his brother.

 

“My middle name is Mae.” Mae sniffles. “Where did Lilly go? I wants my mommy and daddy.”

 

“Uh, do you want to talk to her? Who are you? How do you know her?” Dean demands.

 

“What is... She is still panicking. Male child give her the phone.” Castiel orders.

 

“Nuh uh, tell me who you are first, or I’m chucking this thing in the garbage.”

 

“I am Castiel, Angel of the Lord.” The man retorts in obvious frustration.

 

“Okay, bye.” Dean says, snapping the phone shut. “He tried to say he was an angel, what a weirdo.”

 

“Did you hang up on the Angel...Priceless.” The tall man that stole Lilly smiles, unable to hide his amusement.

 

Sam instantly pulls the screaming Mae behind him again. 

 

“No, he’s gonna take you too.” Mae cries out as she pulls on Sam’s too big shirt.

 

“Dean, Sam, Mae. Knock it off.” The man sighs as the three back away from him. “You know what, Singer.” He snaps his fingers before he walks over to Dean. “Give me the phone.”

 

“What, this thing is a phone?” Dean asks in confusion as he backs away, pulling the girl and his brother with him.

 

“Yes. Phone. Now.”

 

“Okay.”  Dean tosses the phone on the other side of the room, “Run!” He shouts, pushing the little ones into the other room before he slams the door shut behind him.

 

Thoth rolls his eyes as he catches the phone midair, he flips it open and hits the button to recall Castiel.

 

“Male child this is not funny Mae-” Castiel snaps.

 

“Castiel. Stop.” Thoth sighs.

 

“Thoth? What is going on?” Castiel asks.

 

“They have all been turned to children, they are currently running.”

 

“Where are you? Where are they?”

 

“Find and bring Singer here, this situation is incredibly problematic, they don’t know who we are.” Thoth frowns as he looks to the closed door.

 

“I can’t find Bobby, he’s on a hunt and it will take time to call him.”

 

“Wonderful.” Thoth breathes out in frustration before he gives the angel the motel’s address. He concentrates to hold the conjoined rooms door shut as he walks outside.

 

“Fuck, it’s locked. Or blocked. I can’t get it open.” Thoth hears Dean shout. “Sammy, get her out the window. I’ll hold this side.”

 

“Thoth. What is going on?” Castiel asks, obviously upset as he appears beside the god.

 

“Lilly felt like she was about to die, so I showed up. They are all children. They don’t know who I am, that is the extent of my knowledge. They are resourceful, you may want to stop the window escape.”

 

“They are children?” Castiel asks, his head tilting to the side as he walks around the building. He catches a squirming, crying little girl before she can fall to the ground from where she was being lowered from a window. 

 

“Female child…” Castiel stops as he looks into the girl’s tear stained face. “Mae?”

 

Mae screams in response as she looks up into the unfamiliar man’s blue eyes.

 

“Please stop, I’m not going to hurt you. My name is Castiel, I am an angel of the Lord.”

 

“More ah-angels?” Mae frowns as she watches him.

 

“What do you mean more?” Castiel asks in concerned, positioning the girl more comfortably on his hip.

 

“I want my... Mommy,” Mae tells him with a sniff, “Sammy and Dean says vere daddy is a super hero and is going to take me home.”

 

“Uh…” Castiel moves to pat her on the shoulder when Dean interrupts him.

 

“Put her down!” Dean shouts as he points a gun in his face; his protective instincts in full swing. 

 

Castiel simply flaps to the front door of the room, meeting back up with Thoth. Mae screams, her small arms going around his neck.

 

“My suggestion. We just put them all too sleep.” Thoth offers with a frown.

 

“I no feels good.” Mae whimpers before she pulls back to look at the two strange angels, “Yous scaring them, but yous not mean.”

 

“I’m not getting shot.” Thoth sighs. “They’re your wards, give me Mae and go handle the small gun trained children.”

 

“Alright.” Castiel sighs as he tries to hand Mae to Thoth, but she wraps her arms tighter around him.

 

“We’ll be at Mystic.” Thoth frowns at Castiel before he looks down at Mae. “Would you like to go your- your family's garden?” Thoth sighs as he looks down at the crying Mae, continuing to hold his arms out for her.

 

“Momma’s garden?” Mae asks, peeking out from behind Castiel’s trench coat collar.

 

“Yes. River’s garden.” Thoth comments, internally wincing.

 

“Yes please. Are you gonna magic there?” Mae asks as she holds her arms out for the other angel.

 

“Yes, yes we are.” Thoth nods with a gentle smile as he gathers her from Castiel and secures her to his hip.

 

“Lizzy! Lizzy! Are you ok. Please, don’t hurt her.” They hear a young Sam call out.

 

“Good luck, Angel.” Thoth smiles as he tips his head to Castiel before he disappears with the young Mae.

 

88

 

“I have the Winchesters.” Castiel all but sighs, holding a passed out Dean by the collar of his shirt while Sam had his arms wrapped around his neck. “Please tell me you have removed the guns.”

 

“Of course. Did they shoot you?” Thoth asks with a small smirk as he stands from where he was playing tea party with little Lizzy. At Castiel’s blank face he chuckles.

 

“But we was talkin’.” Mae whines her lips pursed in a pout.

 

“I’m very sorry Lizzy, but I must go speak with Castiel. Why don’t you and Sam play together for a while.” Thoth explains with a small apologetic smile.

 

At Lizzy’s name Sam looks up and around until his eyes land on Mae. “Lizzy!” He shouts, excited all over again as he jumps out of the man’s arms to join her.

 

Castiel and Thoth watch them for a moment before Castiel lays Dean carefully on the couch before they walk out of the room to discuss what to do.

 

“Hey Sammy!” Mae greets as she hugs Sam. “Wanna play tea party with me? Foth made real tea and everything.” She asks excitedly.

 

“That’s a girl game…” Sam says pulling a face. “Do you have board games?”

 

“Foth was playing.” Mae’s face falls with a pout on her lips.

 

“Okay fine, but we have to play a different game when Dean wakes up.” Sam explains, not wanting his brother to know he was doing girl stuff.

 

“Yay, you can sit here, incase Foth comes back.” Mae claps. “But still next to me. And I know Grammie has games around here somewhere, so we’s can play those when we’s done.”

 

“Okay.” Sam smiles as he goes to sit in his assigned seat. “I didn’t know you played tea with real tea.” 

 

“Uh huh, it’s how adults play.” Mae tells him with a smile.

 

“Oh...oka can I drink coffee? Dean drinks coffee, and so does uncle Bobby, and Dad.” 

 

“Uh… ok, let’s go make some.” She takes his hand and pulls him towards the kitchen; bouncing in her excitement.

 

“Awesome.” Sam says, smiling as he followed her.

 

“This is as amusing as it is concerning.” Thoth comments as he walks back into the room, his eyes sweeping over the Sam and Mae as they rush from the room.

 

“I believe it is only concerning. How are you amused by this?” Castiel tells the old one, looking over to the couch where Dean was sleeping.

 

“We’ll fix it.” Thoth shakes his head. “You have no imagination, this is so much ammunition.” He chuckles. “Will you be fine if I leave you with them, I don’t know what my wife is up too with Lilly.”

 

“I can handle those two. They respect angels. Dean is a different matter. He tried to shoot me, with five different guns.”

 

“How many times did he succeed?” Thoth asks, trying to contain his glee at the situation. 

 

“Three.” Castiel frowns. “I did not want to hurt him.” He immediately defends himself at the god’s look of smug amusement.

 

Thoth chuckles. “That seems right.” He shakes his head. “Just keep trying Singer. I’ll be back.” Thoth comments before he vanishes..

 

Castiel nods, pulling out the hated device to follow the old one’s advice. A loud noise, like the sound of a large balloon popping, from the kitchen pulls him from his thoughts. “Mae? Sam? Are you two ok?” He rushes into the room to find Sam and Mae on the countertop with coffee grounds and glass shards on the ground beneath them.

 

“We brokeded it…” Mae cries with a trembling lower lip.

 

“I’m sorry it was my fault.” Sam admits, looking down with a look of contrition.

 

“I don’t think human children should be drinking coffee.” Castiel frowns as he waves his hand and fixes the glass. “And it’s alright. Lilly is not here.”

 

“Dean drinks it.” Sam pouts, attempting to get down so he could clean it up, Mae mimicking him.

 

“Stay on the counter, both of you.” Castiel sighs as he goes to find a broom to sweep up the grounds. 

 

“Sorry Cas- Casty- Sorry Mr. Angel.” Mae says, her eyes huge in her small face as she watches the angel clean up their mess.

 

“I am not upset. You can just call me Cass, if it’s easier.” Castiel sighs as he helps them both down from the counter now that they wouldn’t track coffee everywhere. “I just don’t want you two to hurt yourselves.” He explains calmly as he pulls out his phone, and hits dial once the line highlights Curmudgeon.

 

“Okay. We’ll be more careful.” Sam promises.

 

“Thank you.” Castiel says with a small smile. He hangs up at Bobby’s voice telling him to leave a message. “Okay, go to the game room, and please be careful. No bumps, no bruises. Call if you need something, but I have to find someone.”

 

Mae tugs on Castiel’s trench coat. “The room with the pool table?” She asks. When Castiel nods she frowns. “That’s Grampa’s room. I’m not allowed in there without him.”

 

“Yes, go play there.” Castiel nods though at her concern he frowns. “I’m an angel, and I’m giving you permission?” He offers.

 

Mae looks thoughtful for a moment as she contemplates his offer. “Okay.” She gives him a sweet smile before she hugs him. “Thank you for cleaning up the mess Mr. Angel.”

 

“Not a problem.” Castiel smiles at the girl, before he walks away dialing Bobby’s number again.

 

Sam holds his hand out to her, not sure where it was they were suppose to go. 

 

“I think all angel’s must be nice.” Mae tells him as they leave the kitchen. They giggle as they run through the house.

 

“Wait, Mae, what does that mean?” Castiel asks in concern as he turns and follows after the two small children, phone still to his ear.

 

“Huh?” Mae stops running and turns to look at him.

 

“What do you mean all Angels are nice?” Castiel asks her, kneeling to look her in the face. She had mentioned angels earlier too, but at the time he had been busy dealing with the fact that his wards seemingly deaged.

 

“Yous nice. And Foths nice,” Mae explains as she points to one finger for each nice angel. “And the blond angel is nice.”

 

“What blonde angel?” Castiel asks in concern.

 

“He said he was worried about me, and that he was looking for me. He wanted to know where I was. I told him I was at home with my Mommy and Daddy, but I wasn’t. Is he gonna be mad at me? I didn’t mean to lie.” She suddenly looks very worried, her grip on Sammy’s hand tightens.

 

Castiel frowns. “No Mae, he’s not going to be mad... Do you know what was his name Mae?”

 

“Lu- Luc fur.” Mae stumbles over his name, not quite able to pronounce it correctly.

 

“Do you know who Lucifer is Mae?” Castiel asks his eyes staring intently at her, taking the phone away from his ear as he snaps it shut.

 

“He said he's uh angel. I just started Bible school, and we’re playing bible verses, and we just learned about angels.” She continues to ramble on in the way that small children do.

 

“Lucifer is a fallen Angel Mae, and you can’t talk to him.” Castiel finally says, waiting for her to take a breath. He reaches out a hand to her shoulder. “He’s trying to take you away from your family. You can’t talk to him. Do you understand?” He asks sternly.

 

“He was so sad… I don’t understand.” Mae mumbles quietly, playing with the white shirt she was still wearing. 

 

“Lucifer is known for being a deceiver. You can’t trust him. He’s trying to take you from your family. He’s a very… Bad angel.” Castiel reiterates, closing his eyes as he sighs. If Lucifer found Mae there was a good chance that Michael found Lilly.

 

“I don’t want to be taken from my Mommy and Daddy again. When are they coming here? Thoth said-” She looks down at her bare feet, scuffing the ground with her toes as she twists her hands in the material swamping her. 

 

“Uh-” Castiel frowns. “I know Mae. I’ll ask Bobby when he calls me back. He was supposed to be watching you four.” He offers with a small, forced smile.

 

“My Uncle Bobby is yours Uncle Bobby too?” Mae turns to asks the boy still holding her hand quietly.

 

Sammy shrugs his shoulders,still confused by the conversation he had just observed. “I dunno, he’s not our real uncle, him and our dad just work together. He’s really nice.”

 

Mae smiles, hoping that they knew the same person. She liked playing with Sam, and wanted to see him again. “I won’t talk to the blond angel anymore. I’m sorry.” Mae tells the stern faced angel.

 

“Thank you Mae. You two go play. Sam, please inform me if she falls asleep, it’s important to her safety, do you understand.” Castiel demands, looking at the younger version of Sam.

 

“Yes sir!” Sam says enthusiastically, knowing that safety was the most important rule.

 

“Good. Thank you.” Castiel comments dismissively, as he walks back to go check on Dean. He attempts to call Bobby again, actually leaving a voicemail this time. “Bobby Singer, I am babysitting a very young Sam and Mae. Lilly is with the old one’s, who are  **_far_ ** more amused by this situation than they should be, and I have to keep Dean asleep because he keeps trying to shoot me. The archangels are aware of the situation. Please, call me back I need help.” 

 

Cass tilts his head back, looking up to the heavens for help when he hears another loud bang, followed by Mae crying. He flaps to the room, feeling that this was going to become a pattern.

 

89.

 

“Sammy? Lizzy?” Dean groans as he sits up on a couch. He looks around in confusion. “What’s goin’ on? Where are we?” 

 

“Hi Dean! We’re playing games on my Grampa’s TV. We’re not gonna get in trouble though, the angel said we could.” Mae tells him, hitting the pause button so she and Sammy could rush over to the older boy.

 

“Okay… The angel… Awesome.” Dean nods as he sits up. “Is Lilly here too?” He asks, concerned for the other spastic girl.

 

Sam shakes his head.

 

“Dad’s gonna kill me.” Dean sighs wiping a hand over his face.

 

“Foth said his lady was shopping with her.” Mae tells him quickly, feeling bad that he was upset. She reaches up to pet his head, knowing that always made her feel better.

 

“Thoff? The thing that showed up in the hotel room? And angels, and what the hell is going on? Dad’s gonna kill us for just leavin’ that room. I need to call him. Does your gramps have a phone?” Dean asks his eyes narrowed with worry.

 

“Mr. Cass is trying to call Bobby with the pager thing. And yeah, he does. It’s over here.” Mae explains as she takes his hand and pulls him over to where she remembered the phone being. “Oh, it’s not here. Maybe in the kitchen?”

 

“Okay…” Dean comments shaking his head as he decides to look for the phone. “Imma go find the phone.”

 

“We’ll help.” Sam tells him, “Won’t we Lizzy.” 

 

Mae smiles and nods.

 

“Okay, good plan, just, we have to stay together, kay Sammy.” Dean agrees, not wanting to leave the two younger kids alone with supernatural creatures on the loose.

 

“Right Dean.” Sam agrees as he takes Mae by the hand again.

 

Dean’s eyes sweep over Sam, before he nods. “Good. Let’s go.” He says as he exits the room they were currently in taking the lead as the three young kids head down the hall.

 

“Uh, Dean?” Mae tugs at Dean’s shirt. “Mr. Cass is actually really nice. Yous not gonna try to hurt him right?”

 

“Sshh talk softer Lizzy. Demon’s lie, angels don’t actually exist.” Dean frowns. “I don’t trust this.”

 

Mae lowers her voice even more.“Angels are real. I learned about them. And I's meet more than one. But I can't talk to one. The blond angel is a bad angel and Mr.Cass said I can’t talk to him or I’d get in trouble.”

 

“This is why dad brought you to me.” Dean sighs as they work their way through the halls, til he finally finds the largest kitchen he’s ever been in. He smiles as he spots a phone sitting on the counter.

 

“I found it! Help me up on the counter again Sammy.” Mae says, running over to the counter to pull herself up. 

 

“Good job Lizzy, no no, you two stay on the ground, I’ll get it.” Dean commands in a hushed tone as he stands on his toes and pulls the phone down, and dials Bobby’s number. He rocks on the balls of his feet as he waits for his uncle to pick up. He frowns when he gets the voicemail and sighs before he leaves a short voice mail, before he hangs up the phone.

 

“Mr. Cass has been doing that a lot today.” Mae comments with a smile.

 

“Awesome… Are you two hungry?” Dean asks scratching the back of his head.

 

“Yes.” They both exclaim in hushed tones

 

“Okay, well I’m going to go find us stuff to go eat.” Dean nods.

 

“We could get stuff from my Momma’s garden.” Mae offers, walking towards the back door.

 

“I don’t think we should go outside Lizzy.” Dean comments concerned.

 

“Why not?”

 

“We don’t know what is out there. Hell Sammy and I don’t even know where we are.”

 

“We’re in Sue Falls. At my Grammie and Poppy's house.”

 

“Uncle Bobby lives here too… Maybe we can find a way to his salvage yard…” Dean frowns as his eyes sweep over his brother and the girl curiously. “I don’t know what’s going on, but Bobby will know what to do. He’s awesome like that.”

 

“My Uncle Bobby has to be the same as yours Uncle Bobby.“ Mae says happily, doing a little happy dance in a circle.

 

“ _ Seriously? _ ” An unfamiliar female voice chimes in complete disbelief. Several bags in her hands that she places to the floor. Thoth right behind her with several more bags and Lilly on his hip. 

 

Dean looks at the girl on the man’s hip, his face calculating before he opens the door to shove Sam and Mae outside.

 

“Young man, you let go of that knob right now! We are not eating anyone.” Maat says sternly, her voice brooking no room for arguments. “I’m cooking dinner. You are  _ not  _ ruining this for me Dean Winchester!”

 

“Dean, you should reconsider. She really wants to do this.” Thoth shakes his head before he sighs. “Would you like to take Lilly? I promise we aren’t going to hurt any of you. This situation is a mess, but it will be sorted soon enough.” He informs them with a frown as he offers Lilly to Dean. 

 

Sam and Mae trade looks of confusion while Dean walks forward to take the girl from Thoth. He tries to hide the smile on his face, planning  to take the girl and run for safety, eventually ending up at Bobby’s house. He didn’t know what this new threat was, but he didn’t like it, and he knew he had to protect Sam and the two girls at any cost.

 

“I bought you all clothes that fit!” Maat exclaims, picking up two pink bags and offering them to Mae. “Here you go, it must be awful to be tripping over everything.”

 

“Uh, um, thank you Mrs. Pretty Lady.” Mae says shakily as she takes the bags from her

 

With a wave of her hand Maat causes the door to click shut. “You have a poor poker face Dean, please don’t take off with our odd one.” She frowns at Dean. “We really are just trying to help. Lots of things are after the four of you, and this is really the safest place for you at the moment. We’re working on finding Bobby, you’re just going to have to wait a while longer.” She says her tone gentle. “Here, there’s clothes for you and Sam. Lilly picked out all your clothing.” 

 

Dean looks the woman over. He let out a resigned sigh as he takes the bags, knowing if he was going to get them out of this, he couldn’t do it without clothes. “Thank you.”

 

“Thank you.” Sam parrots his brother.

 

“Aren’t you just the cutest, one day we’re going to look back on this and laugh.” Maat says ruffling the young Dean’s hair in amusement.

 

“Imma go get dwessed.” Mae says softly, taking a step and tripping over the shirt again. She huffs and stands up again, pulling the end off the ground before she moves his time. Sam moves to walk with her, not wanting to let her out of his sight.

 

“Can I help cook?” Lilly finally speaks up, her blanket bunched around her hands. She wasn’t sure how to interact with the other kids, and was really enjoying spending time with her gods.

 

“Mae, Boys… Oh. Hello old ones.” Castiel greets as he pops into the room.

 

“Castiel. We should talk about human children that are going to need a bit more supervision.” Maat smiles at him, before she turns to look back at the children. “You four, go get dressed.” Maat smiles as she shoos the kids out of the kitchen. 

 

“I’s dwessed.” Lilly pouts. “Can I pwease stay.” 

 

“You said I could have her.” Dean reminds them possessively, refusing to let the girl out of his sight again. 

 

“Samara Lilly Ahmes, go with Dean.” Thoth says firmly, hiding a smile when she does as he tells her; the first time, with no argument.

 

“Lizzy, Sammy, go back to the T.V. room and get dressed, we’ll be right there.” Dean directs the two younger ones, every intention of talking to and checking over the other girl to make sure she was okay.

 

“Come on Lizzy.” Sam shrugs before walking out of the kitchen hand in hand with her, holding their bags with his off hand.

 

“They’re not s’posed to get dwessed together.” Lilly frowns as she twists her fingers in her blanket.

 

“This house belongs to that girl, you’re not going to get in trouble.” Thoth chides, shooing her towards Dean.

 

Lilly lowers her head in defeat as she walks over to the older boy, grabbing his bag off the floor petulantly.

 

“I can carry it.” Dean says, taking it from her before he takes her by the hand and they leave the kitchen.

 

“I’s no idea wha’s goin’ on...” Lilly sighs, her fingers gripping the blanket tighter. The rules. Where were the rules?

 

“We’re just getting dressed Lilly. No big deal. But we’re staying together from now on. No more separating. You understand?”

 

“I’s was gettin’ eated. I’s sowwy… I’s didn’ wanna die.” Lilly mumbles kicking at a invisible pieces of dirt.

 

Dean stops short and pulls her in front of him by the shoulders. “Did they hurt you? Are you hurt, let me see. I have to fix it.” He looks her over quickly, finding no injury.

 

“Wha? No-ah, they didn’t, my lady took me shoppin’ and we got’s food.” Lilly smiles brightly. “She told me I couldn’ get ‘dopted, an’ explain’d why Ahmes was’n talkin’ but she didn’t know where Viola was…” She pouts. “Then shes told me tha’ Lizzy an I are sup’osed to be friends.” She responds confused. “I’s not broken.” 

 

“Oh.” Dean says, coughing in embarrassment as he continued walking them down to the room Sam and Mae were in.

 

“You’s gotta get dwessed too.” Lilly sighs her fingers working the fabric of the blanket. “You look like yur’ wearin’ a dwess.”

 

“You’re coming in with us. If you’re really that worried, you can close your eyes.” Dean rolls his eyes and pull her with him

 

“O’tay.” Lilly sighs as ashe steps into the room, her eyes immediately widening when they land on the large bookshelf, and walks over to it. Her eyes scan the spines in awe before she selects a graphic novel from a lower shelf and walks to the couch and pulls herself up,  curling onto a small ball and starts reading it.

 

After everyone is dressed, Dean pulls Mae close to him and whispers into her ear. “Where is the closet door to get outside?” He looks her in the eyes before he puts his own ear to her lips. 

 

“My Grammie’s and Poppy's’ room, just down there.” Mae whispers back as she points.

 

“Good girl.” Dean winks at Mae as he scans the room. “Everyone dressed?” He nods when he see’s everyone wearing clothes. “Alright, time to go back out. Lizzy, lead the way.” Dean orders firmly. Sam and Mae nod as they begin walking towards the door.

 

“Come on Lilly, time to go.” Dean says when she doesn’t move.

 

“I’s be hewe when yous get back.” Lilly shakes her head as she waves dismissively; she had no interest in getting up when she had just settled.

 

“Bring the book with you, we’re leaving. I told you we’re staying together.” Dean narrows his eyes at her, annoyed that she was holding them up.

 

“Uh...I’s fine.” Lilly frowns. “You fwee play.” She continues. She always got in trouble when she played with the other kids at the other places she stayed at.

 

“I’m responsible for your safety. I’m not letting you out of my sight. Now get up.” Dean grabs her by the arm and pulls her up.

 

“No yur’ not, that’s dumb. We jus’ met, and I’ll be gone soon e’nuff.” Lilly frowns as she looks up at Dean, not liking that he was pulling on her.

 

“You’re being dumb right now. Something brought us all together, so we’re staying together. I’m the oldest, I’m in charge.”

 

“Oldest doesn’ mean wisest.” Lilly pouts.

 

“I’m that too. I know more about the real world and the bad stuff out there than you do. We’re done arguing, am I making myself clear? It’s time to go.” Dean starts dragging her towards the gameroom exit.

 

“We’s gonna get in twouble.” Lilly sighs as she scrambles to keep up with Dean.

 

“Those things have nothing to do with us. We need to get to Bobby and then to my Dad. He’ll know what to do.” Dean shakes his head. “They’re dangerous.”

 

“They’re not things, they’re my gods, and an angel. Of course they're dangewous, which is why we shouldn’t piss em’ off.” Lilly frowns. “Lowd Fof can find me anywhere anyways....” She sighs.

 

“Bad things are after Lizzy, and I know Dad had a reason for taking you too. I don’t trust them.” Dean tilts his head to the side. “Wait… What do you mean he can find you?”

 

Lilly sighs pullin’ out the large amulet from under her shirt. “I’s cuw-rsed… this is my amuwet. Apparent’y it’s why pewple ignore me.” She explains with a frown.

 

“Oh, that’d be the reason Dad…” Dean stops himself. “Damn it. I don’t know what to do. I’m not leaving you alone here, but I have to get us over to Uncle Bobby.” Dean look from her to the door and back, obviously torn. His eyes water as he realises he doesn’t know what to do. He feels like crap. He just knows he’s letting his Dad down.

 

Lilly looks up at the boy and frowns when she notices the tears. “I’s o’tay. Dean, I’ll come.” She says softly feeling bad as she stops fighting him and picks up her pace. “I’s sure the punishuh will fix it. He can kill everything.” She adds trying to cheer him up. 

 

“My Dad is pretty awesome.” Dean says, wiping his arm across his face. He looks to Sam and Mae, who were still standing just outside in the hallway.

 

“So wat’s the plan?” Lilly asks as they approach the other two kids.

 

“Follow Lizzy.” Dean whispers, not sure how good their hearing was.

 

Lilly nods her head and just follows the rest of them to a large bedroom. She watches apprehensively as Dean jimmies open the door. He was gonna get them in all in trouble, but she didn’t want him to cry.

 

“What are you four doing?” Thoth ask from behind them.

 

“RUN!” Dean shouts as he grabs Lilly’s wrist and Sam grabs Mae’s, as the four of them run out into the backyard.

 

“Shit…” Thoth turns and yells down the hallway, “We have a jailbreak.” He calls out with a roll of his eyes, as he walks out the door after them. He nods at the angel as he joined him a few feet away with a flap.

 

“Mae, Sam, and Dean first. Lilly is easiest to find.” Thoth says as the two divine being race out into the gardens. 

 

“Did you see the way they went? Or if they stayed together?” Castiel asks in concern.

 

“Couldn’t tell you. I was calling for reinforcements.” Thoth sighs shaking his head, annoyed with himself.

 

“I will fly up to see if I can spot them.” Castiel nods, flapping away instantly.

 

“Right, I’ll check the greenhouses.” He sighs heading to the closest greenhouse. He’d never been happier to hear crying than when he finds Mae sobbing and looking around lost with Sam standing next to her, tugging on her arm. 

 

“Lizzy we have to go.” Sam says urgently as he picks her up.

 

“But… I don’t.. Everything looks different.” Mae sobs.

 

“Angel, I found your little girl.” Thoth calls out calmly, not wanting to startle the two into running again.

 

“Mae, Sam. This is not amusing.” Castiel states as he walks over to the two kids and places a hand on either of their shoulders. Both of them jumping at his firm grip.

 

“Way to not scare them.” Thoth says as he shakes his head, imagining the yelling match Maat was going to get in over this.

 

Mae turns to look at the angel, holding her arms up to him in the universal “pick me up” gesture.

 

Castiel sighs as he bends down and picks up Mae, before he grabs Sam’s hand and disappears. He had every intention of unloading the distressed Mae on Maat.

 

Thoth sighs before he pops to where he feels Lilly. “You two are in trouble.”

 

“Fuckin’ damminit!” Lilly gasps out doing her best to keep pace with Dean. Her heart pounding in her chest hard against her ribs as her lungs burned for air.

 

Thoth sighs before he pops to stand in the way of them, the girl running head first into him.

 

“Eeep!” Lilly cries out as she rebounds off the gods legs.

 

Thoth quickly picks her up from the ground while also knocking Dean out. He bends to pick the boy up and throw him over his opposite shoulder.

 

“We... were... jus’... playin’” Lilly pants out taking laboured breaths as she ragdolls in defeat.

 

“You’re not suppose to go outside right now. It’s starting to get dark.” Thoth tells the young girl, looking her over with bright blue critical eyes before he adjusts her to sit on his hip. “Are you alright odd one?”

 

The small girl nods her head, still taking in large deep breaths. 

 

“It seems we have a few things to discuss once we’re inside.”

 

Lilly tries to sigh, but ends up choking on the air her lungs desperately needed as she moves her hands into her hoodie pocket and twists her fingers in her blanket.

 

“I just needed you to stop running Lilly. You’re not in trouble. Stop it.” Thoth tells her, holding her closer as he popped into the kitchen.

 

Lilly nods as she continues wheezing and points at Dean. “Wh-why s-sleep?” She asks looking around wildly before her eyes fall on Maat, the angel, who was still holding a crying Mae, and Sam.

 

“Because he’s dangerous when cornered.” Thoth informs her, eyeing her with concern.

 

“Ba-back. Wa-wake now? He’jus’ wory’d.” Lilly gasps growing red with her inability to breath or speak as one hand grips her hoodie over her heart.

 

“In a moment odd one.” Thoth says, passing the girl to Maat.

 

“Mae-” Castiel begins trying to calm the crying girl once more, realizing that Maat really wasn’t going to help him.

 

“My- names-is-Lizzy.” Mae screams in between sobs. She was scared, and confused. Nothing was right here, and she didn’t know where her grandparents could be, but they weren’t here.

 

“Why- Sh-She cry’n a’gain?” Lilly tries to ask but ends up coughing, immediately covering her mouth with her blanket. 

 

“You need to breath odd one.” Maat frowns at Lilly in concern as she starts bouncing and rubbing her back, shooting a pointed look to the angel, effectively silencing Lilly, watching as she nuzzled into her, pulling her blanket closer as she tried to calm her breathing.

 

Castiel tilts his head to the side, a dawning look coming into his eyes. She may be a child, but this was still Mae. This girl had taught him to sympathise and comfort. He slowly starts to rub and pat her back, lightly rocking his body from side to side. “I’m sorry, Lizzy. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He says softly, gently shhh-ing her. Mae slowly begins to make less noise, eventually fading to silent hiccups.

 

“See, you were just nervous.” Maat teases before, going back over to the stove to stir the various pots and pans. Happy to work around the child in her arms. “Dinner will be done in twenty minutes.”

 

“Lizzy?” Castiel pulls her back briefly, noting her even breathing and calm eyes. “She can’t go to sleep. What do I do? She’s not crying, but we can’t let her sleep. Lucifer will try to communicate with her. None of them should, we really shouldn’t be knocking Dean out. This is bad. They’re all incredibly vulnerable.”

 

“They’re children Castiel, they need to sleep. Is there something we can do to protect them in their dreams?” Maat asks, turning to look to Thoth.

 

“Tutu is long since dead. He was the master in this field. I can remake the charms Lilly had made previously.” Thoth shrugs.

 

“Well, that’s something at least. Let’s do that then.”

 

“I made chawms?” Lilly lifts her head off Maat’s shoulder looking over to Thoth with wide eyes. “I’s can do magic!” She squeals out excitedly, squirming in Maat’s arm.

 

“Yes, you can. Very well too.” Maat tells her with a smile.

 

“Can I do it now? I wanna help!” Lilly asks her voice several octaves higher.

 

Thoth smiles. Lilly was never this excited about working magic, it wasn’t like he was going to pass this opportunity up. “I’ll go get the herbs from Mae’s garden, and then we can start.” He tells the two of them before he disappears.

 

“You can do magic?” Sam asks from next to the angel, his eyes wide with awe. “Are you like a witch?” 

 

“No Sam, she’s not a witch. She’s a priestess.” Maat answers the small boy with a smile.

 

“Oh…” Sam frowns not understanding the difference. 

 

“Dinner will be done soon.” Maat says with a smile. “Sam, why don’t you go wash up.” 

 

“What about Dean and Lizzy? They haven’t eaten either.” Sam says stubbornly, not wanting to leave either of them behind, even just to go wash his hands.

 

“I know, here.” Maat says over to the bench where Dean had been deposited and runs her hand over his face, his eyes fluttering open.

 

“Dean?” Sam asks, one hand still gripping the angel’s coat.

 

“Sammy!” Dean comments jumping away from the strange woman, holding Lilly. “Hey you said I could have her back.”

 

“Yes, but then you tried to take them outside.” Maat chides. “That’s really dangerous right now.”

 

“Down pwease?” Lilly asks nicely as she points to the ground.

 

Maat lets Lilly down and smiles when she goes to stand next to Dean protectively. “Can you please take Sam and Lilly to wash up for dinner. Castiel will be going with you.”

 

“We don’t need a watcher to wash our hands lady.” Dean grumbles, his eyes narrowed with distrust. He needed to think of a new way to get the four of them away from the powerful strangers.

 

Lilly frowns as she looks up at Dean. “Dean, she’s lady Maat. Pwease, she no does nothin’ bads. Pwease calm down. It’s otay.” She says calmly as she hesitantly reaches out and rubs his back. She felt bad that he was still scared and worried, and she was confused why she was staying with so many children that had parents, or at least thought they did. She frowns when she realizes Dean and Sam’s dad was probably in jail. Her frown deepens as she looks up at Mae. Her parents were most likely dead. 

 

Dean pouts and crosses his arms over his chest. “Whatever.” What was he supposed to do? Dad and Uncle Bobby had never told him what to if something crazy like this ever happened. What do you do when you’ve been kidnapped by monsters that were claiming they were trying to help?

 

Maat hides her smile at Lilly and Dean’s interactions, even as her eyes slightly darken at their thoughts. “Castiel has Lizzy.” She explains softly to Dean feeling empathy for him. “And she’s sleepy.”

 

“Come on, let’s go wash before dinner.” Castiel pipes up, not willing to argue with the goddess. He gently pats Lizzy to get her attention.

 

“But you saids we can’t let Lizzy sleep. It’s not good.” Sam reminds him as he pulls on Castiel’s trench coat now, his voice higher in his fear for the girl they were protecting.

 

“Thoth is getting things for that.” Castiel assures him as he reaches one hand down to musse Sam’s hair awkwardly. He tilts his head to the side when his phone starts trumpeting in his pocket. Relief floods his system as he releases the boy’s head to answer the phone.

 

“Singer, there is a problem.” Castiel greets.

 

“Cass, what the hell do you mean a problem. I get home and I have these strange voicemai-”

 

“Oh you're home.” Castiel breathes in relief before him and Mae disappear from the kitchen.

 

“Where did he take Lizzy?” Sam cries out as he runs over to Dean in a panic.

 

“Hopefully to go get Bobby. Maybe he will be able to convince you that we mean you no harm.” Maat explains gently. “Come on, looks like I’m on wash up duty now.” 

 

Lilly watches Dean with sad eyes as she takes his hand and tugs on it gently. “Comon Dean, I’s stay with you and Sammy… But I’s want food. We has to wash hands. We’s diwty.”

 

With a sigh, Dean takes Sam’s hand in his free one and leads both the little ones to go get washed up for dinner. He knew he was hungry, and if he was, Sam must be too. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let us know what you think! We’re begging on this chapter… and the ones coming up. Mini Lilly and Mae and WeeChesters is a lot of cute and fluffy, and we were cracking up during the entire writing process. We’ll be posting another chapter full of Mini hijinks on Sunday regardless, but we’ll love you forever if you make some time to talk to us. :)


	37. Chapter 35

90.

 

“Dammit Cass, what is going on? Who’s kid is that? And give a man a warning before you drag ‘em away.” Bobby gruffs as he takes a step back and looks around the empty kitchen. “Why the hell we at the girls’ place?”

 

“Bobby… This is a serious situation. This  _ is _ Mae. The Winchesters refuse to listen to us, and they all think their parents are…” Castiel trails off as his eyes drop to Mae. “Away. We have no authority over the children. And Mae keeps crying at everything. And Dean keeps running away, or trying to shoot us. Sam follows what Dean says. Lilly is... Surprisingly obedient but I don’t know what to do.” He admits as he starts rubbing Lizzy’s back, feeling her distress even through sleep. Apparently she still became ill during his form of transportation.

 

“That’s Mae? They’re kids? How?” Bobby blinks, trying to force his tired brain to make sense of what he was seeing and hearing. The little girl in Castiel’s arms looked just like Mae did when she was a baby. What the fuck was going on?

 

“Yes. Thoth found them. I don’t know what to do with children, Bobby. Everytime I turn around they are crashing into something and hurting themselves.” Castiel sighs. “And the archangels have already contacted them. It is confusing. We believe they were cursed.”

 

“UNCLE BOBBY!”  Dean shouts as he drags the two little kids behind him, diving for Bobby the minute he walks back into the kitchen. Just the sight of Bobby made him feel more relieved. Sam quickly wraps his arms around the familiar man’s leg. 

 

“Boys? Lilly?” Bobby shakes his head, looking  _ down _ at the three of them in shock. Like Mae, the Winchesters looked just like he had remembered them as he drops to his knee to get to Dean’s height. He was struck dumb by the time warp they had obviously experienced. 

 

Sam hugs Bobby tightly as Dean watches the man with round, confused eyes.

 

Castiel begins to comfort Mae once again, letting her cry into his shoulder after the loud shout startled her. “No, shhhhh, it’s ok Lizzy. Look, your Uncle Bobby is here. Please just calm down.” 

 

Lizzy tearfully looks into Cass’ eyes and tugs on his neck tie. “Mr. Cass, I losts my shwoe.”  She says sadly.

 

Castiel looks down and sees her little slipper must have fallen off back at Bobby’s. “Is that what you’re crying about?” He asks with confusion.

 

Lilly frowns, not liking the smell of alcohol coming off the new stranger as she lets go of Dean’s hand and races to hide behind Maat’s skirt.

 

“Lizzy?” Bobby shakes his head as he stands and takes Mae from Castiel, feeling very overwhelmed at the moment. 

 

“Uncca Bobby?” Mae asks in uncertainty as she rubs at her eyes.

 

“Yep sure is.” Bobby greets her, his tone gruff from the mixed emotions he was feeling.

 

She pulls back to look at his face before she wraps her tiny arms around his neck. “Uncle Bobby! My shwoe is losted.”

 

“Hey lil Lizzy.” Bobby smiles at her. “Where did you lose your shoe at?”

 

“I duno, it fell off when I’s had my’s eyes closed ah’cause I dizzy.” Mae explains with a small shrug.

 

“I made dinner!” Maat chirps, obviously proud of herself as she gathers plates and utensils. Lilly sticks obnoxiously close to her legs, but the two of them work surprisingly well together; mostly due to the goddess’ gracefulness. 

 

“Uncle Bobby, they’re all supernatural things. I tried to get us outta here, but we kept getting caught. I’m sorry they got you too.” Dean whispers urgently as he looks down at the ground, still confused about pretty much everything that had happened that day.

 

“It’s gonna be ok Dean. I’ll explain later.” Bobby gruffs as he ruffles Dean’s hair.

 

“But Dad’s going to be mad at me. He musta dropped these girls off at the motel and I keep messing up.” Dean grumbles his face scrunches up sadly. 

 

“Dean, yer fine boy, we’ll talk later after the lil’ ones are settled. Ye did a good job.” Bobby explains with a sigh, though he couldn’t keep from frowning at the thought of that conversation.

 

“And Foth said you knew where Mommy and Daddy and Grammy and Poppy are.” Mae smiles expectantly as she pulls back again.

 

“Did he now?” Bobby asks with a smile. “ _ Damn Sonovabitch. _ ” He grumbles under his breath before he looks at her.  “I uh, they’re on vacation, I was uh, supposed to watch you, but I was workin’ so I left you with the Winchesters.” He says gruffly. 

 

“Ooo, Uncca Bobby, thatsa bad word.” Mae says with a worried look.

 

“There not bad, they’re jus’ adult words.” Bobby shakes his head.

 

“Daddy washed my mouth out wiv soap when I said it. He said it’s bad.” Mae pouts.

 

“Cause yer a kid.” Bobby sighs.

 

“Dinner’s set! Everyone **eat**.” Maat begins sweetly before it peters off in a warning. “The angel didn’t feed the human children.” She follows up shooting the angel a dark look.

 

Bobby puts Mae down on the ground, where she instantly puts her hand in Sammy’s outheld one. He pulls her off to go wash her hands.

 

“Sam, wait.” Dean hurries to follow them, not wanting to let them out of his sight. The third creature was still missing.

 

Bobby shakes his head at the three of them before he turns to look at the angel, “So you didn’t feed them all day?” He frowns. “They’re babies Cass.”

 

“I forgot, and they didn’t ask for food.” Castiel defends himself. “I don’t know how to deal with human children.”

 

“Lizzy seems ta like ya.” Bobby gruffs as he scratches the back of his head.

 

“I doubt Dean would have let them eat anything I brought them anyways.” Castiel says petulantly. “He is a difficult child.”

 

“Dean’s not difficult.” Lilly frowns at the angel, defending the older boy. “He’s jus’ wowried.”

 

“Hey Lilly. You don’t remember me do you?” Bobby asks, looking over to her.

 

Lilly hides behind Maat’s skirt the minute she’s addressed by the only human adult. She buries her face in the blanket.

 

“Lilly, stop being rude. This man is like a father to you eventually. Go tell him hello.” Maat chides her gently, scooping her out from behind her skirt to push her in Bobby’s direction. 

 

“Hi.” Lilly greets nervously as she shifts with discomfort before she draws up the hood of her jacket and stuffs her blanket into the front pocket along with her hands. He sounded scary, and smelled like booze. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him.

 

“Sorry Lilly, you don’t have to talk to me if you don’t wanna. It’s ok. But I’m Bobby, you can call me Uncle Bobby or just Bobby, whatever you want.” Bobby tells the small girl after he kneels in front of her.

 

“Hewo Mista’ Bobby.” Lilly greets politely as she shifts on her feet, wishing she had just gone with Dean and the others.

 

Bobby gives her a gentle pat on her head, doing his best to keep his emotions off his face. He never knew she had a speech problem growing up. In fact, if his guess was correct, she looked no more than seven. None of them knew much about her from that age. “Go on, we both know you don’t actually want to talk to me.” He tells her with a smile.

 

Lilly blushes before she runs off to go find the other kids. She heads to the bathroom they had washed their hands in earlier, and skids to a halt. Her jaw drops when she finds Sam and Mae throwing soap suds at each other while Dean sulked on the closed toilet seat.

 

Mae screams in delight as Sam pats soap suds into Dean’s hair. “You’rs not playing Dean.”

 

Dean simply glares at his little brother and wipes the foam from his head.

 

“You gu-ays! That’s not how… Yous makin’ a mewss!” Lilly says frantically flapping the sleeves of her hoody, in obvious distress. 

 

“Lilly, come play wiv us.” Lizzy says as she climbs back onto the countertop to get more soap.

 

“Fis is a weally nice house, we’re gunna get in twouble!” Lilly exclaims in concern as she starts looking for something to clean it off the floor. Relief sweeps through her when she finds a cabinet with cleaning supplies. She frowns. All the towels here looked nice. Her frown deepens as she grabbed one from the bottom of the pile and begins to clean up the mess.

 

“It’s just soap, we’re not makin’ messes, we’re cleanin’.” Sam reasons, holding his hands out for Mae to pump more soap into. He puts this on his face, making it into a beard and moustache. 

 

Mae giggles at him before she stands up on the counter and walks over to the cabinet on the wall.

 

“Uh, Lizzy tha’s dangewous!” Lilly exclaims as she looked up at the other girls giggling. She was starting to associate it with trouble. “Dean! Yous olda’ do sumfing!” She whines with concern.

 

“I’m just looking for more soaps. Geeez.” Lizzy says as she opens the mirrored door.

 

“Be careful Lizzy.” Sam grunts as he pulls himself up to look into the mirror and pretends to shave, scraping the foam off with a finger.

 

Lilly grumbles several words in a different language as she finishes cleaning the rest of the water off the floor. They were all going to get in trouble, and no one seemed to care. 

 

“Wow, are those real words?” Sam asks, looking back down at her.

 

Mae just continues to pull tubes and containers from the medicine cabinet. “There’s so many pretty bottles in here. Grammy doesn’t like glass.”

 

Lilly nods her head at Sam, before she stands and goes over to Dean, she hesitantly stretches out her hand and rubs his back. He looked so sad and lost it hurt. He wasn’t even stopping the others and it worried her. “Dean?” She asks softly. 

 

“What is taking you four so long?” They suddenly hear Castiel ask as he walks into the bathroom.

 

Mae jumps and slides in a puddle of foamy soap. Sam turns quickly to slide off the counter. Lilly and Dean just look up at the voice, Lilly trembling with fear, knowing they were going to be in trouble.

 

“Elizabeth!” Castiel quickly catches her before she falls, pulling her back to his side. “You were just supposed to wash your hands .” He stops and pull Mae away from him when he realizes she’s soaked.

 

“Look at the pretty bottles.” Mae giggles as she points at the bottles she had been collecting.

 

“Oh. Well the old one is getting impatient. We should find you new clothes and get you fed. I’m sorry, I forgot you needed to eat.” Castiel frowns.

 

“How do you forget to feed kids? I was asleep, you knocked my ass out.” Dean glares at the creature holding Mae.

 

“My bags are in Poppy's pool room.” Mae tells Castiel as she scoops up foam from her blouse and pats in on his hair.

“You three go to the kitchen, we will be there momentarily.” Castiel sighs before he turns and walks out of the bathroom.

  
  
  


91.

 

“Whys Dean get to talk wif the grown ups?” Lilly asks as she kicks her legs nervously. Was he in trouble?

 

“Because he’s Dean. My Dad says he’s practically a grown up.” Sam says, digging through the closet to find a good board game.

 

“Oh.” Lilly sighs before she scoots off the couch and begins looking for a new book to start reading, having misplaced the earlier one when they had run. She was worried about Dean.

 

“So, We can play Clue, or Sorry, or oh Operation, let’s play that one!” Sam exclaims pulling out the box.

 

Mae smiles as she drops the little grey pillow Thoth had given her, “Yay! I love opera’tion, I’s play it a lot. My daddy’s a doctor!”

 

“Wow, your dad’s a doctor? That’s awesome!” Sam exclaims as he pulls the game out and sets it out on the floor. 

 

“Uh-huh he’s awesome! He saves people!” Mae claps excitedly as she goes to sit by Sam.

 

“My Dad saves people too, Dean says he’s a superhero.” Sam grins as he sets up the game flipping it over to turn it on.

 

“Wow, a superhero? That’s amazing.” Mae says with wide eyes as she takes the baggy with the pieces and counts them out.

 

“Aw man it needs batteries.” Sam frowns with obvious disappointment.

 

“Oh... “ Mae says her face also falling.

 

Lilly looks over at the other two kids noting their change in demeanor. “Lizzy fis is your grand pawents house wight? Don’ you know where fey keep the batta’ries?” She asks closing her book after sliding in the closest piece of paper into the pages. She didn’t want her to be upset again. She hesitantly walks over to them and looks the game over with a frown. 

 

“Um… Oh I know.” Mae giggles as she stands and races over to a cabinet. But when she pulls out the drawers she stares at them, confused. “Nothin’ is where it’s supposed to be. Everything is different. I don’t…” She takes a deep breath as tears well up in her eyes. She felt completely lost.

 

“Lizzy, Lizzy it’s okay.” Sam frowns as he gets up and races over to the crying girl to hug her. He wasn’t sure what the problem was, he just wanted to comfort her. She was his first friend besides Dean.

 

“Hey, it’s o’tay Lizzy.” Lilly comments not sure why the other girl was crying again. “You get used to it after while, I pwomise.” She assures her patting her back.

 

“I’s don’ wanna get used to it! I don’t like it!” Mae cries louder.

 

“Um, I know wheneva I’s in a new pwace I don’ like I, I’s just wead, an’ pwetend I’s the’re is’tead. Wha’s yur’ favwite book? I’s bet this pwace has it.” Lilly says softly rubbing Mae’s back. She was not going to take the news well, maybe that’s why everyone was avoiding it. Adults didn’t like crying.

 

Mae sniffles and goes quiet for a moment. “Uh… I like, Secret Garden.”

 

“Oh, o’tay, I’s go find that.” Lilly says heading over to the bookshelf looking for the book, frowning when she doesn’t see it. “I’s be wight back, I’s find tha book or batta’wies. Jus’ pwease try ta calm down otay?” She says hesitantly, before she turns to leave the game room. She turns back to look at them. “Pwease stay here otay? I’s no wants yous in twouble.”

 

“Lizzy it’s okay. Lilly will be back with the book, or maybe Dean will be back soon. What’da you wanna do?” Sam says as he attempts to comfort her.

 

“I’s want my mommy and daddy. I’s no idea where they are. I’s miss fem.” Mae rubs her face into Sam’s shirt.

 

“I miss my dad sometimes too, he goes away alot. It’s usually just me and Dean.” Sam says, rubbing her back as he moves them over to the couch and helps her up onto it.

 

“You’re daddy just goes away?” Mae asks with trembling lower lip, completely unable to understand that concept. “Why?”

“He’s a superhero I guess, he needs to travel a lot to save people and takes us with him.” Sam says with a slight frown.

 

“Oh… but who watches you and Dean?” Mae asks still confused.

 

“Dean watches us.” Sam says with a small smile.

 

“Oh. That’s… Sad, where’s your mommy?” Mae asks leaning her head on his shoulder.

 

“Oh… My mom is in heaven.” Sam says looking down as he shifted with discomfort.

 

“Maybe Mr. Cass knows her.” Mae says, as she holds his hand.

 

“Cause he’s an angel… That’s a good idea.” Sam smiles happily at the idea.

 

“Yeah, cause my Daddy says that the angels watch over heaven.” Mae rubs at her eyes with her free hand.

 

Sam nods his head. “I’m going to ask him. Are you tired? We’re not supposed to sleep without our special pillows.”

 

Mae shakes her head, but yawns.

 

“Me neither. Wanna’ try play’n another game? One without batteries?”

 

“Yes.” Mae says with a wide smile.

 

“What game?” Sam asks as he worms his way back to the floor helping Mae down.

 

“Wanna plays Clue?” Mae asks, thinking back over the games he had called out.

 

“Sure!” Sam says, excited as they rush back over to pull out the new game.

 

92.

 

Dean walks into the game room followed by Bobby and Maat. His eyes were still red rimmed from the information dump he had just received. Twenty years had gone by, and he, his brother, and apparently their girlfriends were cursed. Archangels were after them, and dad was gone, but the yellow eyed demon that had killed their mom was dead. He didn’t know what to believe anymore. He just wanted to sleep.

 

“Hi Dean. Wanna play Clue wiv us?” Sam asks looking up at his brother.

 

“Ya, wh- whats wrong Dean?” Mae asks, tilting her head to the side when she saw the older boy.

 

“I actually think it’s- Where’s Lilly?” Maat asks with concern noticing that her odd one was not in the room.

 

Mae and Sam look at each other before their eyes fall on the forgotten Operation game.

 

“Oh, she went to find a book or batteries cuz Lizzy got sad again.” Sam explains, upset with himself for not watching her.

 

“I can’t find shit in fis fuck’n house, no wonder why yous always cwyin’.” Lilly growls in frustration as walks back into the room. She freezes when she notices the two adults.  

 

“Is she gonna get her mouth washed out? She didn’t means it.” Mae rushes over to stand in front of the other girl. Sam not far behind her.

 

“I  dids meant it, fis house is fuckin huge.” Lilly grumbles. 

 

Mae turns to whisper, louder than she meant to, “Stop sayin dult words.”

 

“Sowwy.”  Lilly grumbles with a roll of her eyes. 

 

Bobby and Maat both cover their mouths with a hand. Bobby to hide his smile, Maat to stifle her giggle. Both wonder if they should reprimand the girl for swearing. 

 

“Lilly you shouldn’t say those words, you're a girl.” Dean finally speaks up, frowning at her.

 

“So? You were sayin’ the same shit all mornin’” Lilly snaps rolling her eyes at the boy. 

 

“I’m ten-” Dean goes to explain, but stops, suddenly frustrated. “Whatever. It’s bed time for you three. Which means we have to find toothbrushes. And blankets.”

 

“Fere where awot of toofbrushes in the bafwoom.” Lilly agrees, not pushing the argument if he wasn’t going to.

 

“The couch turns into a big enough bed for the four of you to sleep on-” Bobby says, before he’s interrupted.

 

“We can’t sweep in the same room.” Lilly objects obstinately, crossing her arms. She was done with this stupid house and it’s lack of rules. 

 

Maat gets down to her level, “Lilly, it would be best if you all slept in the same room for now. If you don’t want to share a bed, I can make a bed out of pillows for you.”

 

“Boys and giwls no supposed to sweep in the same wooms.” Lilly shakes her head. What if a social worker stopped by? They’d all get in trouble, and Dean might get separated from Sam, and he was sad enough.

 

“You’re not going to get in trouble. This is your family. You can sleep in the same room with them.”

 

“I don’ have a famly.” Lilly says her brows drawing together in confusion, growing annoyed.

 

“Yeah you do.” Dean says, walking over to her. “We’re your family. So, just get use to it.” He hugs her, the tears he had held back when he had been talking to the adults finally spilling over.

 

Lilly goes to object when he wraps his arms around her, her entire frame stiffening from the unsolicited contact. She wanted to tell him to let go, but stops when she feels his breath change and something wet hit her head. She wraps her arms around him in confusion and stays quiet She felt bad he was upset again. What was wrong? Had he found out his dad was in jail?

 

Bobby pulls the bed out, smiling when he sees the ironed sheets carefully folded into the cushions. Between him, Mae and Sam they get the bed made. “All right, go brush your teeth. All of you.”

 

“Okay.” Sam says, taking Mae by the hand as the walk to stand by Dean and Lilly.

 

“Guys we has to go brush our teef.” Mae whispers pulling on Dean’s shirt.

 

“We coming in a minute Lizzy.” Lilly says softly, picking up on Dean’s discomfort at attention being drawn to him, when he squeezes her tighter.

 

“I’m sowy.” Mae says quickly, giving Dean a one armed hug before she pulls Sam out of the room.

 

“I’m coming with you two, I’ll get it set up for you.” Maat says as she escorts the two younger ones out of the room.

 

Bobby begins to set up the couch cushions to make Lilly her own bed. “You two gonna stand there or get ready for bed?” He gruffs, looking over at Dean and Lilly.

 

“Sowwy, I like hugs.” Lilly mumbled loud enough for the man to hear her, picking up on Dean’s stiffening and sniffles. She rubs his back in attempt to help calm him. He was upset enough without getting yelled at for it. 

 

“Go on Lilly, go get your teeth clean.” Bobby shoos as he walks over, putting a hand on Dean’s shoulder to guide the boy into his side. He hated the way John’s attitude towards feelings were shining through right now; there was a difference between dignity and ignorance.

 

Lilly looks down without another word and stuffs her hands into her pockets so she can twist her fingers into her blanket. She looks up at Bobby with a frown, before looking to Dean. She didn’t want to leave him alone with the man, but she didn’t want to make it worse either. With a small sigh she walks out of the room.

 

“Dean, it’s ok to be upset.” Bobby explains once Lilly was out of earshot.

 

“I’m not upset.” Dean defends himself as he wipes his face with his forearm harshly, annoyed with himself.

 

“You don’t have to always be tough boy. We just laid a heap of awful on you. And now you feel even more responsible for these youngins.” Bobby gruffs gently.

 

“It’s fine, I’ll adjust. I’ve always been able to keep Sammy safe. I can do this.” Dean responds with confidence.

 

“God dammit boy, I know you can.” Bobby hugs the boy, happy when after a moment Dean hugs him back. 

 

“It’s a lot, and it’s hard as hell to believe, but I can do this.” Dean says after a moment, as honest as he was willing to be with his second father.

 

“I know, ya idjit. Now go brush your teeth.” Bobby assures him with a smile as he lets the young Dean go. It was so strange to see them at this age again, but now that he was really thinking about it, or maybe because it was staring him in the face, this explained a lot. 

 

93

 

The four kids come strolling back into the room several moments later, all dressed in night clothes, Lilly still wearing her too big hoodie over her pjs. Dean’s face was almost comically stern as he herded them back to the room. 

 

They all pause as they look around the room, noticing Thoth in the background with a gleeful smile on his lips. 

 

He was going to document every moment of this that he could.

 

“All right, everyone in bed.” Bobby says clapping his hands.

 

“But wait we has to do prayers.” Mae says, kneeling next to the bed, putting her hands together in front of her. Sam joins her with a smile, as he mimics her position. 

 

Lilly looks over at at Mae and Sam with a quirked brow before she shrugs and walks over to Maat and Thoth. She drops to one knee one hand over her chest the other on the floor and looks down. She quietly whispers their creed, in perfect ancient egyptian. 

 

Maat and Thoth share a glance as they notice her speech was perfect, before Thoth takes another picture.

 

Dean rolls his eyes and stays back.

 

Castiel smiles as he hears the prayers of the two little children, their voices strong and innocent as they prayed a typical child’s prayer and then asked for everyone to be kept safe. He winces at Mae’s mention of her family and at Sam’s mention of his Dad.

 

“Amen.” Mae and Sam finish around the same time.

 

Lilly stands up only when Maat gently puts her hand on her back, softly telling her to go get settled. She flops onto the pile of cushions on the floor and curls into a ball before pulling her blanket out of her hoodie. 

 

“Good night children.” Castiel says from his corner.

 

Mae looks up and runs over to give him a hug, “Night.” She says from his leg before she runs back over to the bed and crawls into it, excited for her first slumber party. “Oooh can we watch a movie?” She asks.

 

“No Lizzy, it’s time to sleep.” Bobby says sternly, but with a small smile.

 

Sam gets into bed next to Mae, crawling under the blankets. 

 

“Aren’t cha sleepin with us Lilly? It’s a slumber party.” Mae asks putting her head back on the grey pillow behind her.

 

“Nope.” Lilly responds popping the ‘p’.

 

“Lilly, child services isn’t going to get called.” Maat chides her, shaking her head at the seven year old's thoughts.

 

Dean rolls his eyes once more, walking around the bed until he could get under the covers on the other side of Mae. “Where’s my knife?” He asks, checking under his pillow.

 

Bobby reaches into his pocket and pulls out a decent sized pocket knife. “Here son, you can use mine for tonight.” He passes it to Dean, who smiles and tucks it under his pillow. “Thanks Uncle Bobby.”

 

“Yous all weiwd.” Lilly mumbles from her cushions, mentally checking off another broken rule. What the hell was happening? Nothing made sense.

 

“Everyone sleeping on the special pillows?” Thoth asks, snapping a few more pictures.

 

A resounding yes is heard from all four children.

 

“Excellent, Bobby’s on first watch with Castiel. We’ll be researching.” Thoth says before he and Maat disappear, leaving the camera by Bobby, who was settling on the arm chair.

 

A few moments later Mae sits back up. Sam looks at her funny, reaching out a hand to pet her arm. “It’s ok Lizzy, me and Dean are here.”

 

“But I’s thirsty.” Mae pouts.

 

“I’ll go get you some water.” Bobby says gruffly shaking his head as he gets up. “Any other sprat want anythin’?”

 

“Can I have water too Uncle Bobby?” Sam asks, sitting up too.

 

Dean just groans, “Really Sammy? You’re just gonna need to pee in like five minutes.”

 

“It’s fine, you want anythin’ Dean?” Bobby asks.

 

“No thanks, I’m good.” Dean says, turning on his side to watch Lilly.

 

“Lilly?”

 

“Nuh uh” Lilly murmurs curling into a tighter ball hugging her blanket to her. She felt a lot less comfortable with her gods no longer in the room. She always hated the first nights in new places, she never knew what was going to happen, and this place was already unsettling to her. What type of an adult gave a kid a knife? She wished she had a book to read. With a sigh she stares at the large shelf of them.

 

“Ok, this is my only trip out of the room, last chance.” Bobby counts to ten before he leaves.

 

Mae and Sam giggle together over whatever it is they’re whispering to each other as he comes back in the room.

 

“Okay, two waters.” Bobby says handing each kid a small glass cup.

 

“Thank you Uncle Bobby.” Mae smiles before she starts sipping at the water.

 

“Thank you.” Sam nods before he quickly drains his cup.

 

Bobby collects the glasses, before he gets settled in the armchair again.

 

“Uncle Bobby? Will you read a story?” Mae asks. 

 

“Why doesn’t Mr. Cass tell ya a story.” Bobby suggests with a smirk in the angel’s direction.

 

“What? What story? I don’t understand.” Castiel frowns.

 

“A bedtime story about a nice dragon.” Mae says, clapping her hands.

 

“And a brave superhero.” Sam adds sitting up for the story excited.

 

“What?” Castiel asks cluelessly.

 

“And a princess.” Mae adds after a few moments of thought.

 

“A kid’s story about a nice dragon, a brave superhero and a princess. Come on Cass. Make one up.” Bobby prompts smugly, still pissed about having to lie to Mae about her parents.

 

“Uh. Ok. So uh…” Castiel frowns down at the kids, “I don’t know how to do this.”

 

“Once upon a time…” Mae starts off for him with a smile.

 

“Right…” Castiel frowns as he turns to Bobby. “I can’t do this.” The angel deadpans.

 

“There was a really brave superhero, who fought monsters.” Sam says, standing up on the bed with his hands on his hips in a heroic pose.

 

“And there was a weally smart princess that protected mother nature.” Mae adds, also standing and doing a small, wobbly curtsy.

 

Lilly pulls her hood up over head as she listens to the others, curious how long these adults were going to let the other kids jump around. They were gonna end up gettin’ smacked back into the bed. Idiots.

 

Sam thinks for a moment before he adds to the story, “They decided to go on a ‘venture together-”

 

“To find the nice Dragon.” Mae finishes for him

 

“This story doesn’t make sense. Superheroes don’t exi-” Castiel begins before Bobby interrupts him. 

 

“Castiel, it’s a story, you go sit down, get them to lay down, and tell them what happens when the superhero and princess meet a nice dragon.”

 

“But I don’t know what happened when they found the nice dragon.” Castiel frowns. “Can’t we just put on a disney movie?” 

 

No.” Bobby rolls his eyes. “Make it up.”

 

“I am not Chuck. I’m an angel, not a profit or writer.”  Castiel frowns.

 

“Fine, watch how a pro does it.” Bobby says gruffly. He gets up and teasingly tackles the two kids back onto their pillows before he tucks them in. “So the smart princess and the brave superhero go on an epic quest…” Bobby begins using different voices and getting super animated, continuing the story long past the point the two younger ones have fallen asleep.

 

Bobby frowns as he looks at Lilly, but pauses not wanting to wake her if she was already sleeping when he see her hood is drawn. “Not touchin’ that.” He says gruffly.

 

“She’s scared, and not asleep.” Castiel explains, tilting his head to the side when he feels the old one re-enter the house. “Thoth came back.”

 

“Bobby go get some sleep, Castiel and I will watch the kids.” Thoth sighs as he walks into the room and gently drops a large piles of books on a table. He walks over to Lilly and kneels down next to her. “It is time to sleep.” He says to the girl before he waves his hand over her face. “And Maat says I’m not good with kids.” He scoffs as he walks back to the pile of books.

 

Bobby opens his mouth to argue before he just shakes his head and walks out of the room.

 

When Thoth hears movement behind him he picks up the camera and sits on the chair with a book next to him, watching curiously. 

 

Dean rolls out of the bed and walks over to scoop Lilly up, frowning at how light she was before he turns and puts her in the bed next to Mae. He goes back and picks up the pillow, gently putting it under her head, before he crawls back in himself.

 

“She’s going to be upset when she wakes up in the bed.” Castiel states.

 

“So? I can protect them better if they’re all together. She can be mad if she wants, I don’t care.”

 

“Ah.” Castiel states before picking up a book and sitting down to begin his own research.

 

“Good luck with that Winchester.” Thoth says with a small smile, obviously amused and not caring.

 

The god and the angel sit in silence for an hour before Thoth sighs. Getting up he goes over to the bed where Dean is still very much awake. “Dean, I need to check on Lilly, she’s still scared.”

 

“Kay.” Dean says slowly as he turns to look at the small girl. The last thing he remembers is a hand sliding over his eyes.

 

“See, great with kids.”  Thoth smirks smugly to the angel, making sure the charmed pillows were where they should be. 

 

Castiel's eyes narrow with skepticism, but he doesn’t argue. Asleep was asleep.

 

94

 

Lucifer walks around the cave, curious and confused as to why Elizabeth was having a dream in such a dark and dreary place when her dreams were usually green and earthy. He did find the new scenery interesting though. 

 

When the tunnel he was walking through begins to get bigger and bigger, he finds himself in a cavern where Elizabeth and a giant rainbow scaled dragon were talking. 

 

“It’s ok Mr. Nice Dragon. No one will ever find you in here. You’rs safes now. I’s sure superhero will be back soon. And you have a giant pool to swim in.” Mae says as she pats the dragon.

 

“Hello Elizabeth. Do you remember me?” Lucifer asks with a gentle smile walking up to the young girl slowly.

 

Mae turns with a gasp, her terror evident on her small face. She curls into the side of the dragon, burying her face into its scales.

 

“Elizabeth? What’s wrong child?” Lucifer asks, his head tilting to the side as he pauses in his steps. He watches as the little girl simply shakes her head continuously.

 

“Elizabeth? Lizzy what’s the matter?” Lucifer asks as he slowly walks closer before putting a hand on her back. He gently rubs in an attempt to calm her.

 

“No!” Mae screams as she bolts from the dragon’s side, running through the cave blindly, scared that she was going to talk to the blond angel and get in trouble.

 

Mae’s sudden reaction startled him, and she was able to get pretty far before he simply flew to stand in front of her. “Elizabeth? Tell me what is wrong.” Lucifer scoops her up into his arms.

 

“No.” Mae cries out again, tears streaming down her face as she fought against his hold on her.

 

“Elizabeth sweetheart you need to calm down and tell me what’s wrong.” Lucifer soothes her softly. “You can talk to me Lizzy. I just want to help you.”

 

Mae continues to fight against him, twisting and turning in his arms in an attempt to get down. “Imma get in troubles.” She cries.

 

“In trouble? Why would you get in trouble?” Lucifer asks in concern as he gently brushes her hair from her face. His caress calming her a little more with each pass.

 

Mae covers her mouth. Her eyes wide above her hands. She shakes her head again, scared to speak.

 

“Come on Lizzy you can talk to me, I just want to help you. Let me know what’s wrong baby.” Lucifer sits down on a stone and holds the girl close to him, his arms forming a protective cage around her.

 

Mae frowns as she covers her eyes. “I don’t wanna be here, it’s scary without the dragon.” 

 

“I know, I’m sorry. Here.” Lucifer says snapping as they end up in the familiar garden with the dragon behind him. “See garden and dragon, isn’t that much better?” He asks with a gentle smile. “Please talk to me Lizzy.”

 

“I not ah’pos to.” Mae says, a tear trickling down her face as she wiggled to get down.

 

“Why not?” Lucifer asks with a frown as he adjusts her to sit in a more comfortable position, where he could hold her securely without hurting her.

 

“Pwease, I don’t wanna be bad.” Mae tugs on his shirt, still trying to get down. She wanted to go play in the familiar garden.

 

“You’re not bad Elizabeth. What is this? You talked to me just fine yesterday. Please tell me what’s going on?” Lucifer frowns at her.

 

Mae turns her face away from him, “I jus’ can’ts talk to you.” She whines.

 

“But why not? Who told you you’d be in trouble, or bad for talking to me?” Lucifer asks with a raised brow.

 

“I wanna play in Momma’s garden.” Mae says with a frown, sure her Mom wouldn’t want a dragon walking around or breathing fire at her plants. He was a nice dragon though, maybe he didn’t breath fire.

 

“I’ll let you go play after we talk Lizzy, I’m worried about you. I don’t like not knowing where you are.” Lucifer prompts gently.

 

“But… I don wanna gets in trouble. He said yous a bad angel, and you want to take me from my Mommy and Daddy.” Mae sobs and hiccups between words, sure that even this much was going to get her in trouble.

 

“Oh Lizzy.” Lucifer sighs, hugging her to him. “I told you yesterday, I got punished because I loved my father. Do you remember that? Just like you love your family. I’m not bad. You can trust me, I’ll never lie to you child. I promise. I just want to keep you safe.” He explains as he begins stroking her hair again. He could wait for her to calm down, but he gently aided the process.

 

“Why you get in troubles for loving your Daddy?” Mae asks, turning to look at him with sad eyes.

 

“He asked me to love his new creations more than him. I couldn’t Lizzy, I couldn’t love anything more than him. And so my big brother threw me out of heaven, and locked me in a cage.” Lucifer explains gently. He continues to rub her back with one hand while his other tucks her hair behind her ear.

 

“I’s still not ah’pos to talk to you. Even if it wasn’t fair you got put in time out. Can I’s go play now?” Mae pouts.

 

“Okay, you can go play.” Lucifer sighs, obviously upset, as he releases the small girl.

 

“Why are you so sad?” She asks with her head tilted, not even getting up from his lap.

 

“I’m worried about you. I don’t like this Lizzy. You talked to me last night, and now it’s like you want nothing to do with me.” Lucifer frowns as he looks down dejected.

 

Mae’s little face crumples as she throws her arms around his neck. “I’s sowwy. Please don’t be sad.”

 

Lucifer wraps his arms around the small girl, unable to keep a smile from his face. “I can’t help it Lizzy, I don’t like being away from you like this, but it’s okay, I don’t want you to get in trouble. Go play.”  

 

Mae shakes her head, still hugging the sad angel. “Come play with me. Then you won’t be sad. That’s what Sammy wants Dean to do. He’s sad too.”

 

“Oh. Are the Winchesters children too?” Lucifer asks, his brow wrinkled in confusion.

 

“I no no? I woke up with Sammy, and he said his brother and daddy is superheros and would help me find my Mommy and Daddy.” Mae leans back to look at his face, her hand smoothing his hair in a comforting gesture.

 

“You're looking for your parents? Oh my dear Elizabeth has no one told you? Your mommy and daddy have been gone for a long time now.” Lucifer frowns as he looks down at her. 

 

“Nuh uh. Mommy kisseded me night night before I woke up with Sammy. Uncle Bobby said he was ah’pos to watch me, but had to work. So he’s took me to the place with Sammy and Dean.”

 

“Oh, sweety has no one told you? Your cursed right now. That’s why I want to find you. It’s dangerous, the state you’re in is leaving you incredibly vulnerable.” Lucifer explains, his tone gentle.

 

“What is cursed means?” Mae asks her brows knitted together in confusion.

 

“A curse is a bad spell. Someone, or thing, put a bad spell on you Lizzy, and the brothers.”

 

“On the other girl too? She’s weird, but I like her. She likes to read.” Mae asks curiously.

 

“Yes on the weird girl too.” Lucifer smiles in amusement. “Before you four were cursed, you two were like sisters.” He adds.

 

“I don’t understand.” Mae huffs in confusion.

 

Lucifer smiles at her and adjusts her on his lap so she was facing him before he begins explaining her family's dynamics to her, at least from what he had gleaned from her in previous dreams.

 

“But boys are icky.” Mae pouts after being told that she and Sammy are a couple like her Mommy and Daddy.

 

Lucifer chuckles. “You’re cursed remember? You’re actually twenty five Lizzy. The baby of your family, and you hate being reminded of that.”

 

“I no baby. I almost six.” Mae informs him, counting out and holding up six fingers.

 

Lucifer smiles, gently ruffling her hair. “ Yes, you are almost six. But you are the youngest, and an infant by Sylph standards.”

 

“Momma calls me her little fairy.” Mae frowns, thinking that he might be giving her a nickname.

 

“That’s adorable.” Lucifer smiles at her before his eyes drop. “I’m sad I never got to meet your mother.”

 

“But she’s just on vacation. That’s what Uncle Bobby said.” Mae says, but this time she doesn’t sound as sure.

 

“Mmm, it’s just about time for you to wake up Lizzy, maybe you shouldn’t tell anyone we talked.” Lucifer frowns. “It can be our little secret. That way you won’t get in any trouble.”

 

“I don’t wanna wake up. I want my Mommy. “

 

“Okay, we’re in a dream, so here.” Lucifer stands, reaching his hand out for Mae.

 

Mae looks at his hand for a moment before she hesitantly takes it. She follows him deeper into the garden before they find River in a white dress watering flowers.

 

“Mommy!” Mae shouts as she runs over to her.

 

“Lizzy, how is my baby girl?” River giggles picking the little girl up and swinging her in the circle, the angel steps back and just watching the child interact with her mother with a satisfied smirk on his face.

 

95

 

“Hey Samara. What happened to your big library?” Michael asks as he walks up behind the lost looking girl wandering through a large house.

 

“I’s stud-e-ing the house. I couldn’t find batta’ries, an’ I got lost. I don’ like bein’ lost.”

 

“I don’t like you being lost either. Do you know where you are?” Michael asks as he kneels down beside her, not touching her.

 

“Nope.” Lilly sighs with a shrug. “I gots moved again.”

 

“I see. Do you know who you’re with?” Michael watches as she opens a door, but the room on the other side is dark so they can’t see into it.

 

“My gods, they said they were goin’ to ‘dopt me…” Lilly furrows her brow as she looks over at the muwtant. “I’s confused why I’s doptable all of a’ sudden. I don’ wike it.”

 

“You don’t like that I wanted to let you read in my library?” Michael moves to look into the room with her.

 

“Fof says I needs social skills, an’ I’s not awoud to jus’ wead all day.” Lilly grumbles.

 

“Well, that’s no fun.” Michael shakes his head. “Doesn’t he know that you can learn anything from a book.”

 

“He says I’s wude.” Lilly frowns her nose crinkling slightly as she looked into the dark room. 

 

Michael frowns. “That was mean.”

 

“Kinda twue.” Lilly shrugs, smiling as a dark tentacle crept out of the black room. “There you are Viola.” She smiles as she grasps the tentacle in a firm grip.

 

“So, are you staying with your gods?” Michael prompts. He just needed to know where she was so he could go get her. He’d figure out the child problem after he had her. He looks down at her with a furrowed brow. What was she playing with?

 

Lilly nods her head before she follows the tentacle, that was tugging at her wrist.

 

Michael follows her and he finds them in a large library. “This looks promising. Are you staying with them in their house?”

 

“Dunno.” Lilly shrugs as the tentacle leads her over to a small open door in between bookshelves. She giggles happily as the tentacle moves and tickles her briefly before it wraps around her waist.

 

“GET OVER HERE!” A daunting female voice growls out, in a Scorpion impersonation before the tentacle pulls a laughing Lilly through the door.

 

“Samara!” Michael exclaims in surprise as he rushes over to the small door. What was that voice? He didn’t feel another presence in here with him. He takes flight to catch up with the tiny troublemaker.

 

Michael looks around in confusion when he finds himself in a odd and dark looking forest. Fog was rolling around the ground as moonlight filtered in through the trees. The sounds of screeching owls and odd clicks were unsettling for a child's dream; as were the contrasts of dark and vibrant colors.

 

“Samara? Where are you child?” Michael stops for a moment, feeling for the signs of her conjoined souls. He lets out a sigh when he realizes that she’s many dream layers away from him, and that it would be difficult to catch her tonight. He realises that, once again, he had underestimated her. He vows not to let that happen tomorrow night. 


	38. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adventure of Minis continue as the Winchester brothers, Lilly, and little Lizzy fight against their confusion and terror in the wake of finding themselves thrown together. They've now spent a night together, what will a new day bring? 
> 
> And what are the Gods, Angel and Bobby going to do?

 

96.

 

“Give em’ back, Sammy.” Dean stirs from slumber when the blankets are tugged off of him, blindly reaching to pull it back over him. However when his tug is met by a warning growl he pauses, his eyes finally opening as he turns to look at his brother only to find, he eyes the tuft of black hair sticking out of the bundle of blankets. What the- He sits up in confusion before he remembers Lilly... Lizzy... The monsters, and now his brother was missing, again. 

 

His eyes narrow in confusion as he bolts up. Fuck. When had he fallen asleep. He shakes his head as he scrambles out of bed. Fear grips his chest like claws when he can’t find Sammy or Lizzy.

 

He was horrified! How had he not woken up? He always woke when Sammy did, usually to just bark orders at him before he turned back over, but he still noticed.

 

It doesn’t take him long to realize the two were in the room. He races through the door, banging off the hallway wall in his haste to find his three missing charges.

 

“Dean?” He hears the female creature callout. “They’re upstairs.”

 

Dean rushes up the staircase. “Sammy? Lizzy? Answer me right now!”

 

“Yes, Dean?” He hears Sammy call back obediently, and can’t help his sigh of relief as he continues up the stairs, awkwardly taking them two by two. 

 

Dean rushes into the room with the pressed flowers cascading down it, only to stop short when he finds Sammy standing above Lizzy, who looked like she was trying to not cry. “What’s wrong? What happened?” He demands, looking between the two in confusion.

 

“I dunno, she says this room is hers, but not hers.” Sammy responds with a frown, as he looks up to his brother with desperation in his eyes. “And now she’s really upset, again.”

 

“Everything's different. That’s not my bed, but that’s my toy box.” Lizzy hiccups as she points at the furniture in the room, her small lips quivering in confusion as tears run down her cheeks.

 

Dean frowns before he walking over to Lizzy. He kneels down and puts his hand on her shoulder to draw her attention. “Lizzy, I’m sorry. This has to be weird, like it sucks with everything being different huh?”

 

Lizzy nods and wipes her arm across her face, “Uh huh.” She sniffs as she watches Dean, “I don’t like it. It’s all not right.”

 

“Look the grown ups have kinda explained what’s going on, and I promise it will make sense eventually.” Dean sighs as he wipes her tears away. This girl cried a lot, not that he blamed her, he wanted to cry too, but still- The tears seemed endless. He was never going to complain to Sammy about his crying again. This was so much worse. Maybe it was because she was a girl? But the other girl wasn’t crying. She was just making him want to cry.

 

“Are we curseded?” Lizzy asks tearfully, remembering her dream from last night.

 

“Cursed? Who told you we were cursed?” Dean’s eyes narrow slightly, curious if the girl had eavesdropped or something the night prior.

 

“Is my Momma and Daddy in heaven?” Lizzy whimpers as she covers her eyes with both hands, her too bright eyes barely peeking out from behind her splayed fingers.

 

“Yeah. They are, I’m sorry Lizzy.” Dean admits, not wanting to lie.

 

Lizzy sobs before she wraps her arms around his neck. “I want them here though.”

 

“It’s okay Lizzy, we’ll figure this out.” Dean says wrapping his arms around her. He didn’t know why the adults wanted to keep this from them. It seemed more confusing than the truth. 

 

“Dean what’s going on?” Sammy asks in confusion as he sits next to them, rubbing Lizzy’s arm.

 

“Come on, let’s get back in the room with Lilly, I don’t like us being split up.” Dean shakes his head as he stands with the girl in his arms.

 

“Can I’s bring the crayons and colowing books?” Lizzy questions with a sniff as her arms tighten around his neck.

 

“Of course. Sammy do you mind getting her stuff?” Dean asks his brother gently, instead of answering him.

 

“Uh huh.” Sammy nods as gathers interesting stuff to play with from the knocked over toy box.

 

Dean leads them back to the game room where Lilly was, thankfully, still sleeping. He puts Lizzy down on the floor, trusting that Sammy would be able to keep her distracted, before he sits at the empty table to keep an eye on the entire room.

  
  
  


97

  
  
  


“You bit me!” Dean shouts drawing his arm back. “What the hell?”

 

“Give me back my awmuwet!” Lilly growls as she tackles the older, and much bigger, boy.

 

“Oh noes.” Sammy frowns as he looks over at Dean and Lilly and scrambles to his feet. “Lilly, you gotta stop hitting my brother, he’s not gonna hit you back.” He explains as he runs over to them.

 

“Fuck off!” Lilly snaps as she reaches up and tries to get the large golden medallion back. She was frustrated that he’d gotten it from her in the first place. She had just wanted to go be somewhere quiet to read. It wasn’t her fault Dean was such a big mean adult wannabe.

 

“Lilly, you’rs not ah’pos to say adult words.” Lizzy says, peeking out from behind her splayed out hands.

 

“No Lilly, you keep trying to leave. You want this back, you have ta stay with me. It’s for your own good.” Dean says, backing away from the tiny girl’s assault.

 

“I’s don’ havva do wha’ you say!” Lilly yells in his face.

 

“Yes you do!” Dean yells back, upset that she was questioning him. 

 

“What is going on in here?” Maat demands hands on her hips, trying to hide her amusement.

 

“Ut ohs, we’s in trouble.” Lizzy says, backing slowly away from the pretty lady.

 

“He took my awmuwet!” Lilly lets out a high pitched growl, as she stomps her foot and points her finger at Dean accusingly.

 

“I need you to use your words Samara Lilly.”

 

Lilly pouts, before she takes a deep breath shoving her hands in her pockets as she explains her side of the events haughtily weaving latin and egyptian as she points at Dean, working herself into a fluster as her face grew flush, forgetting to breath in her rant.

 

Maat hides a small smile behind her hand. “Samara Lilly Ahmes. Calm down.” She instructs firmly, before she turns to Dean, “Dean, give me her amulet.”  She says as she holds out her hand to Dean, before she realized the other three were completely transfixed on Lilly, who was currently busy sulking in her hoodie and glowering at Dean from beneath her hood.

 

“Wat was that?” Lizzy blinks as her head tilts in confusion.

 

“Yeah, what was that?” Dean repeats, glaring at Lilly. He didn’t need to understand the language to know she’d just insulted him. The tone was enough. 

 

“Wat?” Lilly asks still glaring at Dean, her eyes narrowed.

 

“Dean the amulet.” Maat repeats.

 

“No, she won’t listen to me. I need this. I’ll give it back when we’re normal again.”

 

“Dean, as amusing as that would be for Thoth, and I assure you only Thoth, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Maat says still holding out her hand expectantly.

 

“Well-” Dean shrugs as he puts the amulet in his pocket defiantly. “I do.”

 

Maat quirks her brow and stays quiet for a moment, before she lets out a sigh of resignation. “Alright… If that’s what you wish.” She shakes her head. “Just know all actions have consequences. But, you’re right, she’s your consort. Please try not to abuse it.” She walks away.

 

“No I’s not!” Lilly yells after her stomping her foot, newly enraged at her gods words. 

 

“Abuse what? It’s just a stupid necklace.” Dean says, shaking his head as well.

 

“It’s not stuwpid. Give it back Dean.” Lilly growls holding out her hand.

 

“What’s a con sort?” Lizzy asks Sammy, who just shrugs.

 

“Nothin’. Fuck it. I don’t even cawe.” Lilly shrugs walking over to the couch and climbing onto it, opening her book to where she had left off petulantly.

 

Dean tosses the necklace on the table in front of him. He was frustrated with the girl. Obviously this wasn’t going to work with her like it always did when he needed Sammy to listen to him. He was starting to think Bobby and the monsters were actually just fucking nuts. Why would he like like that girl?

 

Lilly eyes the amulet, from over her book, doing her best to act like she didn’t care. Even though the need to go get it back was nearly overwhelming. She’d played this game before, she just had to wait.

 

Lizzy walk over to the table, looking at the shiny necklace. “Why did you take it Dean?” She asks.

 

“Cause I thought she was normal.” Dean huffs, falling into the chair next to the table.

 

“Nope.” Lilly remarks flipping the page in her book.

 

Lizzy tilts her head to the side. “It’s prwety.”

 

Lilly looks over her book, her eyes glued to Lizzy as she shifts uncomfortably in her seat. Her fingers tap out a nervous rhythm on the arm of the couch. 

 

“Ooh it’s so shiny! I bet the nice dragon would love it.” Sammy joins Lizzy near his brother.

 

“Uh huh. He’s out in the garden acuz the angel moved him.” Lizzy says excitedly. “Dean, can we plays too?”

 

“No! You’ll get it diwty! Give it back.” Lilly pushes off the couch rushing over to Dean to reclaim it.

 

Both Lizzy and Sammy scream in terror as they take off running, in the confusion Lilly takes off after them.

 

“Guys! Stay together.” Dean shouts as he grabs the stupid necklace and hauls himself out of the chair to chase after them.

 

“Gods dammit!” Lilly snaps as she begins chasing them. “Don’ get it diwty!” She cries out.

 

“Hows he gonna get it dirty? We’s inside.” Lizzy asks as they stare down around the coffee table in another room. “We’s no even have it.”

 

“Give... it... back!” Lilly growls through a wheeze, her chest heaving from running, as she slams her hands on the table, feeling dizzy.

 

“Lilly! Sit down!” Dean orders. She was doing that weird breathing again and he didn’t like it.

 

Lilly blinks, surprised to find herself sitting as she continues to breath heavily.

 

Sammy and Lizzy look at each other before they turn to look at a surprised Dean. 

 

“Are we playing Simon says?” Lizzy asks with a giggle as she sits.

 

“Ooh! I wanna play.” Sammy says happily as he joins the girls on the floor. 

 

Dean watches Lilly, still concerned about the way she was breathing, but glad that she had finally listened to him.

 

Lilly’s fingers twist in her blanket as she tries to stand up, but finds herself firmly planted on the floor. 

 

“Are you okay Lilly?” Dean walks over to her. “You’re breathing all funny again.”

 

“I’s stuck.” Lilly frowns as she looks at him.

 

Dean tilts his head to the side. “Did ya sit in gum or somthin’?”

 

“Ew.” Lilly’s eyes widen as she frantically tries to stand.

 

“Well get up and let me check. Stop freaking out.” Dean shakes his head. What was wrong with this chick?

 

Lilly immediately stands up, her breathes coming easier as she moves away from the spot she’d been stuck too.

 

Sammy and Lizzy both stand at the same time Lilly does, both giggling at the new game.

 

Dean looks around where she had been sitting. “There’s no gum. You okay now?”

 

“Uh huh.” Lilly nods as she forces a small smile on her lips.  She was confused, and felt like crying, but she couldn’t, and it just made her want to cry more. She pulls her hood up embarrassed before her fingers twist in her blanket again.

 

“Good.” Dean sighs and looks around the room he’d chased the little ones into. “This place is weird. Why do you have another room to sit in with no TV?”

 

Lilly shrugs. “It’s got books in it.”

 

“All the rooms have books in them.” Dean points out. “Let’s get back in the other room.”

 

Lilly turns as she heads back to the game room.

 

Lizzy and Sammy both frown. 

 

“I thought we were playing Simon says?” Lizzy pouts.

 

“Simon says get yer asses back in the game room.” Dean snaps.

 

“I’m hungry.” Lizzy announces suddenly with a grin.

 

Dean turns and focuses on Lizzy, a small smile creeping on his face, at the less ornery child. “Come on, let’s go get food then.” 

 

Sammy takes Lizzy by the hand as he pulls her from the room. 

 

“Come on Lilly.” Dean calls back over his shoulder. “We’re gonna go eat.”

 

Lilly turns mid step and follows behind Dean with a small, confused frown. 

 

Dean just shakes his head and holds out a hand for Lilly. “You really okay?”

 

“No.” Lilly frowns. “I don’t like this game.” She shifts nervously, eyes dropping as her fingers twist tighter around the blanket.

 

Dean frowns. “What game?”

 

“I’s not sure, I’s neva plays it befows, it feels funny.” Lilly mumbles as she moves to follow behind the other two, confused.

 

They enter to find Lizzy standing behind Sammy with her head laid against his back and Maat flitting about, setting the table for a meal.

 

“All right you four, come over here to wash your hands.” Maat says, pulling a step stool out from under the sink.

 

Each of the kids line up to wash their hands, getting help from Dean before he finally washes his own. He gets them over to the table and settled before looking back at Maat suspiciously. 

 

“What did I do?” Maat asks with a quirked brow, “I haven’t even gotten involved with your pack politics. I just made pancakes.”

 

“I can make food for them.” Dean says with a frown.

 

“I’m sure you can, but you’re not taking this away from me.” Maat responds haughtily with one hand on her hip.

 

“I like pancakes Dean.” Sammy says with big eyes. “Do you Lizzy… Lilly?”

 

Lizzy nods her head, but stays unusually quiet.

 

Lilly looks over at the other girl confused by her lack of response, but nods anyways.

 

“Fine.” Dean says, flinging himself into the chair.

 

Maat’s eyes linger on Lizzy for a moment before she smiles. She passes out plates filled with pancakes and bottles of syrup.  “Eat up! Anyone want eggs or bacon?”

 

At the food Lilly’s concern suddenly dissipates, as she pulls the plate towards her before pushing up her too large sleeves and begins scarfing down the pancakes, in the fashion she had done their other meals. Not looking up or talking, one arm protectively wrapped around her plate.

 

“Geeze Lilly. Slow down or yer gonna choke.” Dean shakes his head. She’d done the same thing last night, but none of the monsters or Bobby had said anything.

 

Lilly immediately slows her eating, as she turns to Dean, her golden eyes flashing at him from behind her hood as she growls at him in indignation.

 

Sammy also digs into his food dousing it with an unnecessary amount of syrup, before he starts chowing down on the food. “Can I have bacon?” He asks in between large bites of food. 

 

“Absolutely!” Maat smiles. She wasn’t sure what to do about Dean’s mistrust. Apparently not even Bobby had been able to convince him that they meant him and the rest of his family no harm. Lilly had already expressed her dislike of Dean bossing her around, but now he had the amulet, and neither of them understood what was happening. And then there was Lizzy; she was worried about how the girl had found out about her parents, and why she thought all the adults were liars. Sammy was the only one that seemed to be well adjusted; he was just happy to just be near other children.

 

“Anyone else?” Maat asks as she walks away from the table, figuring they’d be more likely to eat if she wasn’t watching them.

 

Lizzy pulls her plate to her, but her eyes never leave Dean.

 

Dean sighs as the glance before he pulls the plate closer to him and starts eating the pancakes slowly.

 

Lilly scoots her chair away from Dean before she returns to eating at the subdued pace, as she goes back to protecting her plate.  

 

“No one is taking your food Lilly. They have their own, and I have more.” Maat assures her with a sigh.

 

Dean backs away from Lilly to give her more space before he takes another bite.

 

After Dean takes a few more bites Lizzy pours syrup on her pancakes and starts tearing them into little pieces with her fork.

 

“Lizzy, stop playing with your food and eat it.” Dean says sternly. 

 

“I has to get them all covered.” Lizzy replies petulantly as she stirs the tiny pieces in the lake of syrup on her plate.

 

“Stop bossin’ people ah’wons.” Lilly growls at Dean nastily.

 

Dean glares at her before he takes another bite.

 

Sammy smiles as he shoves another bite into his mouth, “They’s good Lizzy, eat ‘em.”

 

Lizzy looks up to Maat, watching her suspiciously. With a frown she turns to Sammy, leaning closer so she could whisper in his ear, “Where’s Uncle Bobby?”

 

Sammy looks at her with his head tilted to the side, “I don’t know.” He frowns as he looks to Maat. “Mrs. Lady. Where is Uncle Bobby.”

 

Maat smiles as she places a plate of bacon on the table. “Bobby is working a case right now with Castiel and Thoth. Is there something you need Lizzy?”

 

Lizzy blushes and begins moving her food around on her plate, keeping her eyes down.

 

Lilly looks up from her cleared plate, adding more pancakes to it, along with the bacon, before pulling her plate back to her.

 

Sammy also quickly snags several strips of bacon and more pancakes with a grin at the lady. “Thanks.”

 

Maat’s eyes move from Lizzy to Lilly, concerned at the amount of food on her plate. “You’re welcome Sam” She says softly before she returns to the stove to make more pancakes, keeping an eye on Lilly. Surely she’d stop if she was full, right?

 

Dean finishes his plate and watches the younger kids, waiting for them to get more before he does. Suddenly several more pancakes are dumped on his plate by their ‘babysitter’.

 

“Would you like bacon Dean?” Maat asks even as she piles a few pieces on his plate, not waiting for an answer. “What about you Sam?” She grins at the boy when he holds his plate out to her. She gives him a few pieces as well. “Lizzy, would you like some too?” She asks dropping the last two pieces of bacon on her plate. 

 

“Ew. I’s no eat that.” Lizzy says quietly, her face scrunched up as she pushes her plate away.

 

Lilly looks up and grabs the bacon off her plate. “There?” She says adding it to her plate as well pushing the plate back to the girl before she turns back to her own food.

 

“Lizzy, eat.” Dean says, taking a bit of his own short stack.

 

“I’s did eat.” Lizzy responds with a frown, pushing her plate towards Sammy before she lays her head down on the table. Her tummy hurt. “But I filled now.”

 

Lilly stares at the other girl in complete confusion. The other girl’s words individually making sense just not in that order. “If there’s food you shoulds eat it.” She tells her concerned.

 

Lizzy looks over at the other girl before she shakes her head. “I’s no hungry anymore. You want it?”

 

Lilly opens her mouth to say yes, before she thinks better of it and shakes her own head. “Yous need it.”

 

“I no want it.” Lizzy pouts.

 

Again Lilly stares blankly at the other girl, for a long moment her face shifting with indecision, before she shrugs and goes back to her own plate.

 

“That’s ok, Lizzy, you don’t have to finish if you aren’t hungry.” Maat tells her sweetly before she asks, “Can you go wash your hands for me?” 

 

Dean quickly stands up to go help her wash her hands, wanting to talk to her. “Lizzy, you have to eat.” He whispers, keeping her steady on the stepstool.

 

“I did. I eats lotsa bites.” Mae says with a little stomp.

 

Dean frowns as his eyes sweep over her. “All right. But you tell me if you get hungry, promise?” He sighs, as he dries her hands off. 

 

“Lilly? Are you still hungry?” Maat asks, watching as Lizzy gets back in her chair next to Sammy before she puts her head back down on the table. 

 

Dean slides back into his own chair as he continues to eat.

 

Lilly finishes swallowing her food in her mouth, refusing to look up as she ponders her goddess’ question. She shrugs as she shovels another bite in her mouth.

 

“Lilly… Are you still hungry?” Maat asks again.

 

Lilly looks down at her plate with a frown. “No… But I wanna eat it.”

 

“But if you’re not hungry then you should stop. Come on, let’s get those hands clean.” Maat says, walking over to take her hand.

 

“But it’s here.”  Lilly frowns, not willing to leave the food that was readily available.

 

“You will get to eat when you’re hungry Lilly. You just have to let me know. Lunch will be ready around one. If you’re hungry before I tell you it’s lunch time, let me know and I’ll give you a snack, ok?” Maat keeps her hand out for the tiny girl to grab.

 

Lilly kicks her feet hesitantly, not wanting to get away from the table.

 

“If you keep eating when you’re not hungry, you’ll get sick. And then that will be a waste of food.” Maat continues to explain after a few moments of reading Lilly’s indecisive mind.

 

“You’s can gets sick from fat?” Lilly asks as she looks up at Maat in confusion.

 

“Yes you can.” Maat frowns. “You can hurt your tummy over filling it.” 

 

“Oh.” Lilly sighs as she looks at her mostly empty plate before she takes the goddesses hand, not happy about leaving food on her plate.

 

“Let’s get your hands washed so you and Lizzy can go play, how does that sound?” Maat asks as she helps Lilly up to the step stool, washing the girl’s hands and her own.

 

Lilly looks down the whole time, growing increasingly uncomfortable with the new situation she had found herself in as she automatically mumbles “Good.” 

 

“You don’t have to play if you don’t want to Lilly. Are you feeling ok?” Maat frowns as she puts her dried off hand to the girl’s little forehead.

 

Lilly nods her head.

 

“You sure?” Maat whispers as she hugs her.

 

Lilly just nods again.

 

“Ok, but you’ll tell me when you get hungry, or if you don’t feel good?”

 

Lilly nods again.

 

“That’s my good little priestess. Would you like to help me make lunch later?”

 

Lilly nods again.

 

Maat lets her down, smiling as Dean walks over with Sam to wash his hands. 

 

”We’re done too.” Dean quickly and efficiently washes his and his brother’s hands, drying them when done.

 

“Okay you four can go play if you want, I’ll come get you for lunch. Please let me know if any of you need anything okay?” Maat says with a smile, after she had taken several steps away from the brothers, leaving Lilly to stand by them.

 

“Come on Lizzy, time to play again.” Sammy grins excitedly as he rushes over to the table again.

 

Lizzy hops down from her seat, smiling as Sammy pull her from the room.

 

“Come on you.” Dean says, taking Lilly by the hand. “Are you feeling better?”

 

“Yes.” Lilly nods her head and follows him to the game room. 

 

98

  
  


“So we’re all cursed?” Sammy asks in confusion.

 

“That’s what the adults told me.” Dean frowns and nods.

 

“The angel too.” Lizzy adds.

 

“Figaw’s.” Lilly sighs darkly. Sad to realize that a curse was making her happy.

 

“Luc fur telled me we’s all grown ups, but somefing cursed us to be little. I no likes it. But all the stuffs here is wrong. He says my family is all passed way.” Lizzy looks down at the ground, “I wants Unca Bobby.”

 

Lilly looks over at the other girl, frowning. Should she have told her sooner? She always hated when the new kids came. Especially when they were like the girl in front of her, it was obvious that she had no idea what death was, and she was sad she didn’t know how to help her.

 

Dean’s quiet for a moment, his brows drawing in concern. “The adults said Lucifer was after you Lizzy. When were you talking to him?” Dean asks, his tone and posture protective of the small girl.

 

“Uhh.” Lizzy grabs a pillow to hide behind. “I nos wants to be in trouble.”

 

“Lizzy you're not in trouble, you just might get hurt or worse.” Dean explains as he places a hand on her shoulder.

 

Lizzy lets out a little sigh, her eyes just visible over the pillow, “I tries not to talk to him, but he, he is sad. And he’s worried about me. He saids we’re vuln-ah-bull, ah-cause we’re stuck like this. He told me lots of things.”

 

“The adults said that too, but we’re vulnerable to them, the angels Lizzy, we all have to be careful and stick together here. All of us, no secrets, gottit?” Dean says looking to the other three children

 

All three of them nod somberly.

 

“Okay, so who knows what?” Dean asks.

 

“Luc fur says we’s all together as grown ups.” Lizzy nods. “Like Lilly’s my sister, and Dean’s my brother and Sammy’s and I are… are…” She looks away, blushing.

 

“Maat and Fof told me we’s a famwry.” Lilly adds backing up Lizzy’s claim after a moments hesitation, shifting her feet uncomfortably. Her eyes fall on the amulet around Dean’s neck. “And fat’s a cuwsed amuwet.” She sighs as she points to her amulet.

 

“I don’t know nothing, that’s not fair.” Sammy says, folding his arms over his chest. “And what are we Lizzy, I wanna know.”

 

“We’s like my mommy and daddy, an’ so are Dean and Lilly.” Lizzy says, finally finding the words to describe what the angel had told her.

 

Lilly looks around the group before she puts her hood up, stepping closer to Lizzy hesitantly and further away from Dean. She shoves her hands in her pockets, playing with her blanket.

 

“But girls are just fun to be friends with.” Sammy scrunches his face as he looks up to Dean.

 

“That part doesn’t matter right now. We’re family, and we’re staying together. What’s the last thing everyone remembers before we woke up in the hotel?"

 

Lizzy starts when Dean looks at her first. “I ‘member I was excited because Mommy was talking to me about my fairy garden birthday party. Mommy read me a bunch of bedtime stories, cause I keeps asking her too. I want to stay up so when Daddy gets home I could get kisses goodnight. But I had to sleep because I goes to school. But I was awake when they came back in and kisses me. Then I wakes up next to Sammy.” 

 

“I remember you reading me a story, and playing with my toys while you were cooking us dinner. We ate, and watched Scooby Doo and then we went to bed, and woke up to Lizzy crying.” Sammy grinning at his brother, happy he had something to add this time.

 

“I was at the Hen’diksin’s, it was my second day, and he was...Not vewy nice afta’ wowk so I’s was hidin’ wif the ofers unda fe bed, an’s  fen I woke up next to Dean.” Lilly mumbles, her speech worse with her discomfort, obviously uncomfortable with saying more after what the other two had shared. Her tiny body shivering as she remembered how angry the man had got after work the first night. Her fingers twist tighter in her blanket as she looks down at the floor.

 

Dean puts his arm around Lilly, pulling her closer to him. Remembering nights that his dad drank. He never hit them, but he cried alot. “It’s ok Lilly. I won’t let anyone scare you like that anymore.” He rubs her tiny shoulder.

 

“I’s o’tay, he wasn’ the worwse..” Lilly mumbles still not looking up.

 

“I remember staying up after you fell asleep Sammy. But all I did was watch more cartoons and then the Legend of Zorro. I fell asleep after that, and woke up to you in the shower.” He says to the girl, giving her shoulder a squeeze.“Okay, so anyone besides Lizzy havin’ dreams with the angels? I know I haven’t been.” Dean asks.

 

Sammy shakes his head. “Me either.”

 

Lilly untangles one of her hands from her blanket and slowly raises her hand. 

 

“So, just the girls. Did you sleep on the pillows?” Dean asks.

 

Lilly nods her head. 

 

“Uh huh. And I couldn’t not talks to him, he was sad an’ worries. And he picked me up and held me,” Lizzy frowns as she crosses her arms in front of her. “Like that, and I couldn’ts get down.

 

“Wait, he talked to you last night with the pillow?” Dean asks concerned.

 

“Uh huh, he was sad that I was going to get in troubles. But he was nice. He brought me to see my Mommy, shes gots to meet the nice dragon.” Lizzy smiles.

 

Lilly nods, in affirmation.

 

“Maybe we shouldn’t sleep with the pillows.” Dean mutters, still trying to work everything out. It was incredibly frustrating to believe he was actually an adult, but only have memories of being a kid. He felt lost, and like he was letting his family down. He looks over at Sammy, feeling bad that he was lying to him about their dad.

 

“But Fof made em’.” Lilly says with a frown. 

 

“Yeah, I know. But they didn’t work for you last night, right?”

 

Lilly hesitantly shakes her head.

 

“So, maybe we should try without them, just incase.” Dean tries to reason. “I don’t think we can entirely trust the grown ups. I mean, we can trust Uncle Bobby, but I was told to never trust a supernatural being.”

 

“I’s a pweistess in twainin’ an’ has Ahmes..” Lilly pouts. “Kinda.” She sighs. “I’s twust my gods.” She stomps defensively as she pulls away from Dean. She wished Viola was here, these kids were trouble.

 

“Yeah, a human priestess and only kind of.” Dean responds quickly, taking ahold of her hand. “I’m just sayin’ that we should be very careful. I don’t know who’s tryin to hurt us. But it sounds like someone is. So, we stay together.”

 

Sammy takes Dean’s free hand, and grabs Lizzy’s hand. “Dean’s a superhero, we’ll be ok.”

 

Lizzy smiles at the group, feeling happier and less scared with friends, no matter how strange the were.

 

Lilly felt torn as she stared at her hand in Dean’s. Part of her was happy to feel included, the other part was lost without Ahmes and Viola’s guidance. She felt empty and confused. Everyone kept telling her the three other kids were her family, but she didn’t know or trust them. Then there were her gods, who kept pushing her off on these kids, even though they said she was theirs. It was overwhelming, and confusing, and she just wanted to go hide somewhere in the house and read until she was able to sort things out. She missed Viola, maybe when the other three were playing she could look for her.

 

Dean smiles at the three of them. “Okay, so, anything else?”

 

The three little ones shake their heads.

“Good. We’ll figure this out guys.” Dean looks down at the ground, wishing he knew where to start.

 

Sammy and Lizzy hug Dean as Lilly steps to the side and watches the three of them with a frown.

 

99.

 

Dean closes his eyes and starts counting to sixty. He didn’t like the idea of playing hide and seek with the group, but one look from Lizzy and Sammy’s excited eyes after Lilly suggested the game made it impossible to say no. He smiles when he hears the three of them take off running.

 

Lilly ran as quickly as she could with a book pressed to her chest, happy for any opportunity for solitude. She figured if she couldn’t find Viola to talk to she could at least try to sort things out.

She races up the stairs, halting at a black door with a single golden lily embedded into it and smiles. If Viola would pick anywhere to hide, it would be a room with a black door. She takes a deep breath before she opens the door, sneezing at the pungent aroma of incense mixed with lemons. She smiles at the dark room, admiring the guitars on the wall before her eyes land on the bookshelf taking up an entire wall. She jumps up and down in excitement before she remembers that she was playing a game and clicks the door shut behind her. She places the book down next to the door and walks into the closet, softly calling out for her friend. She pouts when there isn’t a response before she exits and looks around in confusion. Was she really gone? She frowns as she crawls under the bed to check there as well. A frown forms on her lips when she doesn't find her there either. She sighs as she checks several more of the shadowed areas before she gives up and retrieves her book before she settles under the bed and begins to read in the dark, hoping that maybe if Viola came she would find her there. She really missed her friend. It was too quiet without Ahmes.

 

Sammy giggles quietly as Lizzy leads him by the hand to one of her favorite hiding spots. The closet under the stairs, where she said her grandparents had a reading nook for her. 

 

“What happened to my books?” She asks tearfully when they open to door to find three large shelves full of cleaning products in a ‘’U’ shape.

 

“Don’t cry Lizzy.” Sammy looks around trying to find a way to comfort her and notices that it was dark behind one of the shelves. “What’s that?” He asks, kneeling down to look under the shelves. 

 

“Sixty, ready or not, here I come!” Dean shouts as he starts looking around the room first.

 

Sammy moves a bottle to the side, showing Lizzy a hole she could crawl through. He shuts the door behind them and follows her, putting the bottle back in place.

 

“My books and pillows are still here.” Lizzy whispers with a smile as she rips the plastic off the pillows. The small amount of light coming in under the door and through the shelves was just bright enough to see by.

 

“See, not everything is bad. This is cool. Oh, I likes these books too.” Sammy says as he pull a Berenstain Bears book down from the bookshelf. “Oh, It’s too dark to read.” He frowns.

 

Lizzy finishes setting the pillows out on the floor and sits next to Sammy, “It’s o’tay. We jus’ has to be quiet so Dean can’t find us. We cans read when he does.” 

 

100.

 

Dean groans, frustrated he ever agreed to play the stupid game. He had looked in every open room from top to bottom. Sammy had never been this good at hiding, not even when they were training with dad. He runs back through the first floor, just making sure he hadn’t missed anything. He opens every door on one pass, and closes them after another inspection. Finally, he decides to check the second floor of the house.

 

“Sammy? Lizzy? Lilly? This isn’t fun anymore I’m done. Come out!” Dean shouts out into the hall upstairs.

 

Lilly looks up when she hears Dean shouting, and finds herself again responding to the stupid boy’s orders. She sighs as she walks to the door and opens it.  “Dean. Yous a bad finda’” She frowns at him, as she shuts the door behind her.

 

“Lilly? What are you doing upstairs? Everyone knows you stay on the same floor when you play hide and seek. Those are the rules.” He rushes over to her, taking her by the hand.

 

Lilly bristles. So he could sleep with a knife but she couldn’t hide upstairs? This house was  _ stupid _ . 

 

Dean sighs. “It’s ok, I’m guessing you didn’t know. Why did you hide in there?” He starts moving down the hallway with her.

 

“It was bwack, an’ and dark. I was lookin’ for Viola.” She frowns looking back at the dark door just wanting to go back and explore more.

 

“Who’s Viola?” Dean asks.

 

“The monstwer who wivs unda beds, somestimes cwosets, occaswasionally undastairs- but always in the shadohs...” Lilly quotes her friend as she raises her arms above her head, wiggling her fingers like the shadow tentacles Viola could make.

 

Dean tilts his head to the side. “What?”

 

“She’s my fwend.” Lilly sighs as she drops her arms back to her sides and shifts in discomfort. 

 

Was everyone in this stupid house friends with monster? How was this girl still alive? His dad had taught him to shoot a gun, now he protected Sammy from the monsters. This girl was friends with them. And gods, apparently. “You’re so weird.” He rolls his eyes.

 

“An yous a dick.” Lilly shrugs.

 

Dean’s jaw drops. “No I ain’t. Take it back.”

 

Lilly closes her eyes in frustration as she screws her mouth shut and cups her hands over her mouth tightly her eyes narrowed. 

 

Dean raises an eyebrow at her. “What are you doing now?”

 

Lilly winces in pain releasing her mouth. “Yous no dick.” She cries out in frustration.

 

Dean sighs. “Look, I know I’m bossy and all, but I’ve never had to keep more than just Sammy safe. And there’s all kinds of scary things going on and I just…” He grimaces as he looks away, “Look, I’m sorry, okay?”

 

Lilly looks to him in slight fear and nods as she rubs her temple. What was he doing? It hurt.

 

“What’s wrong?” Dean frowns.

 

Lilly looks to him suspiciously. “I’s no like fis game. Stop.” She frowns.

 

Dean shakes his head. “You’re the one that wanted to play hide and seek. I don’t like this game either. This house is too big.”

 

Lilly glares. “Not fat game.” She frowns.

 

“What game are you talking about?” Dean asks.

 

“Simons says.” Lilly frowns.

 

“We’re not playing simon says anymore. We weren’t ever really playing it. Sammy and Lizzy were just being weird.” Dean shakes his head.

 

“Liar.” Lilly glares at him as she crosses her arms over her chest.

 

Dean rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Help me find the other two.” 

 

Lilly let’s out a huff of frustration as she looks to the ceiling before she turns to the closest door and opens it and begins looking for the other kids.

 

“What’s going on Dean? Why are you two shouting?” Maat asks walking towards them from the other side of the hallway.

 

“We’s were pwayin’ hide n’ go seek, an’ I bwoke the wules. Now I’s has to do his job cause he sucks...” Lilly explains with a frustrated huff as she looks under the bed.

“We’re fine lady. I found her, we’ll find the other two. It’s just a big house.” Dean says with a blush of embarrassment.

 

Maat sighs as she kneels down to be at Dean’s level. “Dean. You need to be careful with Lilly’s amulet. You’re forcing her to do what you tell her to do.” She explains to him softly. “Lilly, Dean didn’t know he could hurt you. He’s just kind of bossy.” She says as she turns to Lilly who was searching Lizzy’s closet.

 

“I hurt her?” Dean asks with wide eyes.

 

“She has to follow the orders given to her by the holder of her amulet Dean, or she gets sick.” Maat explains as she looks at Dean.

 

Dean frowns and looks down at Lilly’s amulet. He pulls it from around his neck. “I don’t wanna do that. That’s stupid. Why does she have to do what people say? Just because they have this?”

 

“Lilly was cursed when she was born. She has one of my priestesses coexisting with in her. Some really bad people got to her family when they were in Ahmes’ tomb. Something went wrong with the ritual, and now she’s stuck with Ahmes curse, that amulet makes it so she has to listen to the one who possesses it. Do you understand?” Maat explains softly as she looks at Dean expectantly.

 

Dean sighs as he looks up at Maat. That sounded horrible. He’d hate to have someone able to tell him what to do all the time and not be able to stop it. And he was doing it to her. His face screws up in disgust as he turns to look over into the room Lilly was in. “I’m sorry Lilly. I didn’t know it did that.” He turns back to Maat with a frown. “How do I make it stop?”

 

Maat sighs. “You give it back to her.” She explains with a small smile. 

 

Dean nods as he turns to look at Lilly again. “Hey Lilly.”

 

Lilly frowns as she peeks out from inside the chest she had fallen in. “Yes?” She grumbles.

 

Dean holds the amulet out towards her. “I’m sorry I took your amulet. I shouldn’t have. It’s yours.”

 

Lilly looks at him suspiciously before she scrambles to pull herself out of the chest. She ends up tumbling out of it, landing on the floor with a blush. She quickly pushes herself up and brushes herself off before walking over to Dean to take the amulet back. She quickly puts it back under her shirt and hoodie securely. “Mine.” She frowns at him.

 

Maat purses her lips at Lilly. “He said he was sorry Lilly. He didn’t understand what it did, but when he found out he wanted to give it back. He didn’t like making you do things like that.”

 

Lilly turns from Maat to Dean and looks at him with a frown. “Fank you.” She grumbles with a blush before she continues looking for Lizzy and Sammy. Dean clearly couldn’t entertain himself, and she was done playing.

 

She hadn’t heard anyone the whole time she was hiding under the bed. There was no way Lizzy had gone this long without crying, breaking something, or giggling and with how blissfully quiet the second floor had been there was no way they were up here. She would have heard it. Sammy was a good distraction, but even he got excited. 

 

Maat shakes her head. Well, she had listened.“Do you want help finding Sammy and Lizzy?” 

 

Dean stands there torn. Yes, he did want help finding his brother and Lizzy, and he didn’t want to let her know he didn’t trust her. But he didn’t trust her, and he didn’t want her touching the little ones. He just wanted them all back in the same room where he could watch them. This game was stupid; this house was stupid.

 

Maat covers her mouth at the young boys thoughts, finding them as amusing as they were sad. “Lunch is almost ready anyways.” She says as she walks back down the stairs, figuring the best place to start looking was the first floor. “We’ll all look for them, and then eat.” 

 

“That works I guess.” Dean agrees hesitantly.

 

A troubled thought enters Maat’s mind as they all call out for Sam and Lizzy. What if they fell asleep somewhere? Without their pillows. This wasn’t good.


	39. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer continues to haunt the dreams of little Sammy and Lizzy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys,
> 
> We're sorry that we haven't been updating as regularly as we use to. We've run into a bit of a snag and are working as fast as rl will allow to fix it. In this case, the snag is that we both decided that the end of this story needed a little bit more work... So we touched it... and some things are changing because of it. I promise we're going to still get you updates as quick as we can, they just might be much shorter than before... Like one scene at a time. At least until we get the story finished. Don't worry though, we haven't changed any of our over arching original plot, just some of the minor details that weave in and out of the story. We're super happy with where this is heading though, and we just ask for your patients and understanding as we work to get End of the Pie completed.

Lucifer sighs contentedly as he walks into Mae’s dream, having just left lil Sammy’s. He snaps his fingers and his image of a ten year old Dean morphs to his current vessel’s form. 

He takes a quick look around, noticing with a smile that Elizabeth was back to her usual dreams of greens and nature. He enjoyed the way she looked at things; and was strangely… Happy… that he got to share in it while he walked her dreams. If only he’d had this small comfort while locked away in the damned cage. Perhaps his mind wouldn’t have twisted quite so much.

It made him happy to know he had much in common with his Elizabeth, even if she was mysteriously a younger version of herself. In a way he was glad to have seen this side of her. 

Once he finally had her, he would find a way to break the curse on her. Or not, either way this situation was nothing but advantageous. Even Michael couldn’t complete the prophecy with a human child vessel and mate.

He finally spots Elizabeth as she was gently playing with a grouping of roses near a dark stone tunnel, touching the velvety petals with a large smile on her face. She seemed to be in the middle of a conversation with a red robin not to far away from her.

“You sing so pwetty, Mr. Robwin. Aren’t these roses so pwetty?” Mae asks, giggling as the bird tweets and jumps up and down on the branch, flapping its wings happily. 

“Elizabeth, how are you today sweetie?” Lucifer asks as he walks over, smiling at the colorful flowers.

“Luc fur? You find the secret garden?” Lizzy questions in surprise as she spins on the spot to look up at him. 

“It seems so.” Lucifer smiles as he goes to his knee his hand going out to touch a teal rose. “This a very beautiful garden. How are you doing today sweetie?”

“I. Uh…” Lizzy slyly fidgets with her white dress, the hem of which was tinged with grass stains and little handprints of color, “Good.” She finally whispers before she walks away to play with a bright orange rose. 

Lucifer chuckles at her coy response. “Since when are you shy little one?”

“I no knows if I is ah’pos to talk to yet. Dean nos get mad at me, he just says I has to be careful.” Lizzy explains to him as she pick up a pair of silver scissors like her mommy used to cut flowers. 

“Ah, he’s a smart boy. I’d hate to see you get in trouble, or worse.” Lucifer nods sagely, getting comfortable on the ground as he waits for her to open up again. He was amazed with how content he was to simply watch her and have this gentle conversation.

“Dean no trusts grown ups eifer.” Lizzy admits before her face scrunches up in concentration as she clips the stem of a blue rose.

“They’re just keeping you safe honey, you’re in a dangerous situation. You don’t know what’s going on and they’re just trying to protect you.” Lucifer watches her with keen interest, having never before seen her pick a flower.

“But Uncca Bobby left. Hims the only grown up I knows.” Lizzy frowns as she carefully pulls the rose away from the vine before she looks it over closely. 

“Bobby left? Who’s watching you sweetie? Are they taking care of you?” Lucifer asks with concern.

“The lady is nice. But all the ‘dults lied. I misses mommy and daddy. And everything is different an’ scary and I no likes it.” Her little face drops and her hands tremble as she walks closer to him.

“Oh little one you, I know it’s a lot to take in. I’m doing my best to help you too. I know this must be difficult, and I’m so sorry honey. I just don’t think the adults know how to tell you. It’s a difficult situation.” Lucifer tilts his head slightly as he continued to watch her.

“Foth played tea party with me; he asks a lot of questions and looks my burn, but it no looks like a burn anymore.” Lizzy carefully puts the scissors aside before she sits down in front of the blonde angel.

“Who is that?” Lucifer asks with a quirked eyebrow, having no idea what a ‘Foth’ could possibly be, or who.

Lizzy giggles. “Foth is another angel silly.” 

Lucifer is silent for a moment, trying to recall all his many siblings. He grows irritated at the thought of any his siblings holding the young girl. “How many angels are with you little one?”

Lizzy furrows her brow before she hold the flower out to him, “For you. Boys like blue right? You have ta be carefuls though, I no allowed to cut thorns off.” She smiles up to him.

Lucifer takes the rose from her with gentle fingers, pleased she was giving him a gift. “Thank you Elizabeth.” He says with a grin. He raises it to his nose and breathes in its scent. “It’s an exquisite rose.” He takes a moment longer to look his gift over, simply removing the dream thorn with the wave of a hand.

Lizzy’s eyes widen before she bounces to her knees and claps her hands. “I wish I could do magic like you.”

Lucifer can’t help the smile that overtakes his face at the irony of her statement. “How many angels are with you Lizzy?” He repeats gently, needing to know what he would be up against when he finally found her.

“Three.” Mae says, manipulating her hand to hold up three fingers.

“Do you know their names?” Lucifer prompts gently.

“Uh huh.” Lizzy nods before she points to her first finger, “Foth, Met and Casle- Casstle…” She frowns as she huffs in frustration, “Cass.”

“Cass… Castiel?” Lucifer asks not really familiar with the other two angels, and confused by the last. He was certain Castiel had been killed by Raphael the night he had risen.

“Mmhmm.” Lizzy nods happily, “Hims nice, but also scary when hims get worried. And he doesn’t know how to tell bedtime stories. Uncca Bobby had to do it.”

“Oh.” Lucifer responds shortly. At least this meant that angels without allegiance to either side were looking out for his cursed mate. Castiel, he had heard, was an angel very devoted to the Winchesters and their women.

“He said you was bad, and I was gonna get in trouble for talkin to you.” Lizzy looks down at the ground as her face clouds in confusion again.

“He would. Castiel is a teenager and he’s having a rebellious phase. He’s just confused.” Lucifer tells her, amused before his demeanor goes back to somber. “You said everything was different, what’s scaring you little one?”

Lizzy looks up at him sadly as her tiny hands ball up into fists of frustration. “The house looks different and Momma’s garden looks different,” She punches the ground at her side alternately with every word, “But wes visit only a few days ago and it was normal and I no ah’pos to go outside to play I has to stay inside and plays where I not ah’pose to be playing.” Tears begin to run down her face as she begins to hiccup.

“Oh little one, come here.” Lucifer says softly, shifting to his knees and opening his arms for her. He found himself sad that that she was crying, even as he felt victorious with the knowledge of where they were being hidden. 

“I misses mommy and daddy.” Lizzy hiccups as she looks down at the ground, “An I wanna go home.” 

Lucifer nods in sympathy. He was beginning to understand that at her age, even after being told the truth, her mind couldn't make sense of the situation so she reverted back to relying on her memories. Since that was the case, until he was able to break the curse, he was going to have to treat her like the child she was; though he still refused to lie to her. “That does sound scary.”

Lizzy lifts her head up, her bright blue green eyes overflowing pools flooding down her baby cheeks. She lets out a hiccuped whimper before she pushes herself up and takes the few steps to hug him, crying out her confusion as she wraps her arms around the angel’s neck.

“Shh it’s alright little one.” Lucifer soothes as he picks her up and begins to slowly rock her while rubbing her back. “It’s okay. Do you want to go play with your mommy and daddy in your garden again?” He asks her softly.

Lizzy nods her head into his shoulder as her tiny fists bunch up in the collar of his shirt.

“Okay, I’ll bring you there.” Lucifer assures her as he stands. 

It was a simple matter for him to walk them through the tunnel before shifting the dreamscape to the garden in her mind. This was the least he could do for her; give her some small happiness in her dreams.

Tony and River wave at them as Lucifer lowers little LIzzy to the grass. A satisfied smirk tugs at the corner of his lips as he watches her run to them. 

He was content to observe her parents comforting her as he watches from underneath the shade of a tree, carefully taking notes. 

He raises a curious eyebrow as Lizzy runs back towards him after spending only a few minutes with her parents. He kneels as she makes it to his side with a small smile forming on his lips.

“Luc fur, come play wiv us!” Lizzy demands with an innocent smile as she grabs him by the hand.

“Okay little one.” Lucifer smiles as he stands and lets her drag him to meet her mom and dad. He found himself once more grateful for whoever placed this curse, as frustrating as it was. He felt it was a gift to see her in this stage of her life. Many of his plans to win her over were speeding up since she became so trusting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are you thoughts on our Lucifer? How about the gang as children? We so very much want to hear from you guys. If you've got questions, lay 'em on us. Got an idea for Slice of Pie, or have something you want to see? Leave us a comment. We enjoy getting to hear from you all. And thank you so much for continuing to read our work. It really makes our day. Lots of Love Wayward Fam!


	40. Stupid Dream Pillows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ma'at listens in on the young Bakers' and Hunters' thoughts, and doesn't like what she hears. The trust of a human child is very fragile, and with the archangels continuing to hound them, Ma'at becomes concerned that they're losing the fight to save the little family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the hiatus. We're still diligently working on the story, though for now we're going to be posting smaller chapters. We hope you're all enjoying the minis, as we like to refer to this particular arch.

Maat breaths out a sigh of relief when she hears Lizzy’s confused thoughts as she wakes up in the dark, shortly followed by Sam’s thoughts of worry. She walks around, listening intently for them.

“Its o’tay Dean, we’s all bad finda’s.” Lilly assures the upset older boy, who was very nearly close to an angry outburst or tears. She had gotten over the amulet thing about ten minutes into looking. She didn’t want him crying again, he was always so sad and worried.

Maat stops when she gets to the stairs, and the closed door. “Did you check in here Dean?” She asks, opening the door, her hand going to the wall for a switch. 

“Yeah, it’s just cleanin’ crap. Like the rest of the damn cabinets and closets in this hell.” Dean snaps in annoyance. He was over this, he just wanted to find Sammy and Lizzy.

Maat smiles at his words, but continues listening to the little ones’ thoughts. She clicks the light on, moving a bottle out of the way. “I found them. I think they were asleep.”

“Wha’? Where? In bleach?” Dean asks skeptically.

Maat steps out of the closet and lets him in, pointing to the other side of the shelf. 

Dean looks at her skeptically before he turns and looks at Lilly. 

Lilly sighs as she takes his hand and pulls him towards the closet. “Its otay Dean, cwosets awen’t scawy.”

Dean rolls his eyes. They were when you were afraid that you were about to get locked in one. He moves a bottle on the shelf to the side and breaths out a sigh of relief when he sees Sam and Mae sitting together with books.

Lilly frowns when she looks into the bright closet and sighs. Viola wouldn’t be in here either. Though she guessed it was good they had found Lizzy and Sammy. She was sure Dean had been about to cry again.

“Dean?” Sammy asks. “You found us! Yay!”

“Let’s play again!” Lizzy smiles cheerfully.

“No!” Dean immediately snaps. “We can’t play hide ‘n seek anymore. Come on out.”

“But we’s were hasin fun…” Lizzy pouts as she stands up.

“But that was the best game!” Sammy exclaims as he walks over to the shelf and waits for Mae to crawl out before he follows her. “It took you forever to find us.” 

Dean just lightly punches his brother in the shoulder.

“Ow, wadded I do?” Sammy frowns.

“I hate this game, it’s stupid.” Dean grumbles. 

“Dad makes us play all the time, you don’t hate it then.” Sam points out, rubbing his arm. “You get excited finding and hiding from me then.”

Dean just glowers at his little brother before he takes each of the kids hands and drags them to the kitchen.

“Lizzy, Sammy. Did you fall asleep in the closet?” Maat asks.

Lizzy puts her face into Dean’s side, hugging him around his waist.

“I think we did fall asleep. Sorry miss angel lady.” Sammy admits as he kicks at the floor guiltily. 

Maat frowns. “You know you're not supposed to sleep without your special pillows.”

“Why the dumb things don’t work anyways.” Dean grouses as he helps Sammy up the step ladder, letting him wash his own hands.

“What? What does that mean Dean?” Maat asks, worried and very close to calling her husband or the Castiel for help.

Lilly frowns as she looks between Maat and Dean. This place was a mess. She couldn’t believe Dean was using that tone with an adult, and was getting away with it. She shifts in discomfort, not liking the feeling that was welling up in her chest as she twists her blanket in her fingers and rockson the balls of her feet anxiously.

“I mean they’re not workin’.” Dean glares at her. “They probably didn’t even have the stupid dreams without the damn things.” 

“I dreamed about you, and we were playing in a pool.” Sammy grins as he finishes his hands.

Dean looks down at Lizzy, who just holds onto him tighter, burying her face into his waist. “Shit.” He mutters as he lays a hand on her head. “Lizzy? Did you have another dream?” He asks with a frown.

Lizzy nods her head against him, afraid to look up into his face.

“The pillows aren’t working? Why didn’t you tell us, Dean Winchester. We told you what was happening, you're putting the rest of your family at risk.” Maat chides as her eyes flash at Dean.

“Don’t get mads at him.” Lizzy cries out, her voice muffled. “He didn’t want to lie to us.” 

“My wady, yous said we’s a famwy. Dean’s oldewst. We’s wisten to him.” Lilly defends the other boy, picking her head up as she looks up at her goddess. “He’s jus’ wowried.” She sighs.    
“Can we eats now? I’s hungwy.”

Maat sighs as she calls for Thoth to either come help her or to send the angel; though Bobby would be preferable. 

“Here.” Thoth shows up with Bobby, before disappearing again.

“Uncle Bobby!” Sammy calls out as he rushes over to hug him.

Dean looks up feeling relieved when he sees his uncle. He puts his hands on Lizzy’s back, trying to get her to see who had showed up. “Look Lizzy.”

She reluctantly obeys, pulling her head up to see that her Uncle Bobby was back. She let go of Dean’s waist, but backs up further from the two grown ups. 

As soon as he’s released, Dean rushes over to hug Bobby.

Bobby looks down, bending to pick up Sammy before standing again. “Wha’ the hell is goin’ on?” He asks, shooting the goddess a bewildered look. Being around celestials was down right annoying when they could just drop you off with no explanation. He was a hunter, sure, but he liked knowing what he was walking into beforehand.

“Let me get Lilly set up at the table.” Maat sighs as she helps Lilly reach the sink so she could wash her hands. “What would you like on your plate Lilly. I made sandwiches and soups. And there are lots of fruits and veggies.” 

“Fwuits and veggies.” Lilly answers quietly.

“Ok then.” Maat loads the girl’s plate up with an assortment of veggie sticks and cut up fruit salad. She picks Lilly back up after she finishes her hands and deposits her at the table, putting the plate and a glass of water in front of her. “Let me know if you want anything else Lilly.” She smiles as she smooths the girl’s hair, noticing that it could use a brushing again.

“Right so what’s going on?” Bobby asks as he sets Sammy at the table.

“Dean, get Lizzy washed up while I get everything on the table please.” Maat asks sweetly, motioning for Bobby to follow her as she begins making plates.

“Lizzy ya gotta wash your hands.” Dean coaxes as he walks back to the girl and helps her up the step ladder. Once he gets her situated at the table as he too sits down, and looks to Lilly with a frown as she shoves the food into her mouth like she hadn’t eaten this morning. She was so confusing. She was so angry one minute and then acting like everything was fine the next. He didn’t like it.

“The pillows aren’t working, and the children don’t seem to trust us ‘grown ups’.” Maat explains, ladling soup into bowls. She leaves Bobby to assemble the fruits and veggies on the plates.

“They’re kids, they’re supose’ to be stupid.” Bobby huffs. “We’ll figure it out.”

“We should figure it out soon, Lizzy’s been dreaming about Lucifer and she’s not talking to us because we lied to them.” Maat shakes her head. “Well, I didn’t lie, I omitted the parts that I didn’t feel like the kids needed to know. Human children are a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. Oh, and Dean told them everything.”

“Bawls.” Bobby groans looking to the ceiling, bringing up a hand to wipe at his eyes. He takes the plates to his three, at least the three that still knew him. He smiles when Dean and Sammy thank him, but frowns when Lizzy’s hides her face from him. He rubs her back briefly, sets her plate down next to her, and walks back over to stand near Maat. “Shit, I messed up.”

“Mmhmmm. I don’t know what to do.” Maat frowns.

“Are any of em’ listenin’ to ya?” Bobby asks with a sigh.

“Lilly.” Maat sighs.

“Well that’s new.” Bobby scoffs.

“I know, and I love it.” Maat grins in spite of their current predicament, “She’s adorable. But so cynical for a seven year old. The system Thoth put in place to keep her safe really hurt her. The American child care system is ridiculous.” 

“Hmm.” Bobby nods, not sure he wanted to kick that particular hornets nest, “Well I’ll talk with em, but I’m kickin’ myself for lyin’ in the first place.”

“This situation is incredibly difficult.” Maat sympathizes as she leans against the counter watching the four kids eat.

“Let me try ta talk to my three, might get em’ to listen better.” Bobby sighs before walking over to the table to lean on an empty chair.

“Hey kids. I think we need to talk.” Bobby says as he looks at the four. He notes that Lilly speeds up eating whereas Lizzy completely stops, even going as far as turning away from him.

“What’s up Uncle Bobby?” Dean asks as he sits up straighter.

“Ya told the young ones everything Dean. There was a reason we didn't’ tell ‘em all that stuff.” Bobby sighs as he pulls out his seat and sits.

“It wasn’t fair to lie to them. And Lizzy already knew about the curse and her family. So I wasn’t the only one tellin’ them stuff.” Dean defends as pokes at his food.

Bobby’s brow creases. “Lizzy howdya know bout the curse?”

Lizzy hops down and hides her face in Dean’s side.

“Lucifer told her.” Maat responds with a frown as she joins Bobby.

“I no wanna gets in trouble.” Lizzy whimpers as she tightens her grip on Dean.

“Yer not in trouble gidjit, not yer fault the damned thing didn’t work.”

“Mr. Cass said I was bad if I’s talked to him. I tried not to, but he was sad.”

“Cass is an asshole for tell’in ya tha.” Bobby grumbles. “But he’s not wrong, Lucifer is dangerous. Thoth, Cass, an’ I are lookin’ for the damned counter curse. You four have gotta listen to Maat better. Dean, lookin’ at you son.”

“Bobby! She’s a supernatural creature. Dad would kill me for talkin to her.” Dean defends himself.

“An she’s helpin’ yer ungrateful ass, so be nice.” Bobby snaps at the boy.

Lilly flinches at the man’s tone. Her eyes widen as she drops the drops the food back on her plate. She slowly raises her hood and lowers her head to the table.

“Sorry sir.” Dean sniffs as he rubs Lizzy’s back absently.

“That’s righ’, look this is a shit situation, an’ if we thought for a minute this situation couldn’t be reversed we woulda done been more honest up front. Yer jus’ kids right now. Yer goddamned thirty son, and I want ya to be thirty, but yer ass is ten right now an yer goddamn gonna listen to me. This shit is dangerous, I should be helpin’ spiteful one an’ two right now, but I’m here expainin’ shit ta ya. So please I’m beggin’ yer stubborn ass to jus’ listen, an’ trust me.”

“Sorry Uncle Bobby. I just, I couldn’t lie to her when she asked. I’m sorry. I’ll listen. We’ll listen sir.” Dean tells Bobby, actually scared by the man for the first time he can remember. He looks down when he realises Lizzy was crying.

Lilly shakes as the stranger starts yelling. She ducks under the lip of the table, her hands in her pockets twisting in her blanket nervously as she put her back the other children. Several old memories hit her as she takes up a defensive stance, her body trembling beneath her hoodie. 

Dean was just worried. Why was everyone so mad at him? She frowns. She’d noticed that people tended to turn their attention to her if she interrupted, and she didn’t want the man to keep yelling at Dean when he was obviously just scared. That didn’t seem fair at all.

Sammy stares with his mouth open, not understanding what they had done to get yelled at for. He hops down from the chair and walks over to comfort his brother. “Sorry Uncle Bobby.”

“I’m sorry for yelling at ya four. I really am. But ya hav’ta understand. We’re doin’ everythin’ we can to figure this out. To fix this. You’re all in danger cause a this, and ya don’ have the memories ya need to deal with the danger. So please, just listen and do what yer told. For me boys. And Lizzy, I’m sorry I lied to ya, and I don’ want you ta hate me, but I did what I thought was best. I didn’t like doin’ it. I hope ya’ll understand when this is over.” Bobby explains in a gentler tone. He watches their young faces, looking for any sign of understanding or disobedience. 

“Yes sir.” Dean responds his back straightening.

“Yes sir.” Sammy parrots his brother, mirroring his actions.

“Yes sir.” Lizzy sniffs as she pulls her head up to look at him, rubbing at her eyes.

“Good. And if any of ya’ have them damn dreams, let an adult know.” Bobby snaps.

“I’s had two dream Uncca Bobby. And he keeps talking to me, and I talks to him ah cause I couldn’t run away and he holds me tightly like this.” Lizzy mimics holding something close to her chest with crossed arms. “But I’s sowy, I don’t know hows to stop it.” She takes a step back from the boys, rubbing at her eyes in her near panic to just tell him. 

“Okay. It’s okay, we’ll figure something out for that too. I’m not mad at ya gidjit.” Bobby says walking around the table, to go pick her up, but pauses when he notices Lilly quickly stepping in front of the other girl.

“She’s said she’s sowwy! Don’ hit her!” Lilly growls at him, her heart beating hard in her chest as she trembled in her hoodie.

“I’m not gonna hit her, I’m gonna hug her.” Bobby explains with a frown. What the hell gave her that impression? 

“Okay. Come here Lilly.” Maat says sternly.

Lilly just shakes her head, determined not to let the stranger hurt Lizzy. 

“Lilly, please, I didn’t mean to scare her. But this is serious and you all needed to hear it straight. I just want to hug my god-daughter, and let her know it’s gonna be ok.” He says, taking another step towards the girl having a hard time breathing.

“Okay.” Maat walks over and picks up her priestess, ignoring the way she tensed at her touch. She quickly exits the room before the tiny girl had a full blown panic attack. She shakes her head at the erratic thoughts the tiny girl was brimming with. What Lilly needed was her room, and maybe a shower; those things always calmed the older version down.

Bobby quickly picks Lizzy up and holds her to him, trying to calm her before she got worse. He soothes her with soft, reassuring words. He relaxes a little when she wraps her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry I yelled Lizzy. I’m not mad at any of ya.”

Dean slides down from the table to hug Sammy close, comforting his little brother as he watched Lizzy with wide, worried eyes. Neither knew what to do in the situation. The thought of working alongside supernatural beings went against everything Dean had ever been taught. 

Sammy was upset. He’d never seen their uncle so angry before, and he was worried about both the girls, but he felt weird when it came to Lizzy.

“Come here boys, we’re gonna figure this out. We’ll find the witch that did this to you, that’s what we’re doing right now.” Bobby takes a deep breath, missing his properly aged Idjitts and Gidjits.

Dean takes Sammy’s hand and walks him over to their uncle before they both hug the man tightly.

“What are we gonna do about the bad angel wanting to hurt Lizzy and Lilly?” Sammy asks, his hazel eyes still brimming with tears.

“Imma have to talk to Cass and Thoth bout that. I don’t have no spells at the top of ma’ head, but we’ll figure it out.” Bobby assures the boy as he ruffles his hair.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again!
> 
> Don't forget to leave us a sign that you're out there and reading... Hopefully enjoying the story. With the strange snare we've found ourselves in, any encouragement or advice helps. Lots of love wayward fam.


	41. The Black Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Bobby has done his best to set the leader of the pack straight, what will the four get up to as they continue to explore the strange house that even Lizzy says is all wrong?

“Where’s Lilly?” Dean asks as he looks around the room. 

Bobby had left with Thoth again, but had promised to come back with a solution to the dream problem. Dean sighs, keeping track of three little kids was way more exhausting than watching one, especially when they all split up. 

Both Sammy and Lizzy shrug with an “Uh-no.”

“Dammit, come on you two.” Deans says grabbing their hands as he lead them to the girl’s normal spots. He grows increasingly concerned when they didn’t find her on the first floor. 

“We playing hide and seek again?” Lizzy asks excitedly as she tugs on Dean’s hand due to her excited bouncing.

“No. We’re never playing that again.” Dean snaps, still not over his earlier premature heart attack.

“Come on Dean it was fun.” Sammy grumbles as Dean heads in the direction of the stairs.

“Uh huh. We hides good.” Lizzy grins as she tries to high five Sammy.

“Yeah, I know.” Dean responds bitterly.

“But, this time you could be a hider too.” Sammy quickly offers as be looks up at Dean.

Dean looks down to snap at the kids when he notices how excited they were. “Ugh, maybe.” He groans.

“Yay!” The two chorus with glee. 

“Awesome... But first we have to find the weirdo.” Dean sighs as he leads the other two kids to the black door.

“Dean, I don’t wanna go in there.” Sammy frowns, leaning as far away from the door as Dean’s grip on his hand would allow.

Lizzy pulls back as well, hiding behind Dean as she peers around him in confusion. The flower painted on the door was pretty, but it was yet another thing in the house that was different. It made her stomach hurt.

“But, this is where she hid last time.” Dean says as he looks down at the two cowering children. It was just a door. He sighs in frustration before his eyes light up, “We just have to go in and see if the weirdo’s there, then we’ll go back downstairs and play.” He promises with a reassuring smile.

“She’s in here Dean.” Maat says as she opens the door, wide for the children, finding their hesitation of the color black adorable.

Dean immediately stomps his suspicions down, remembering his promise to Uncle Bobby. Instead he sets his jaw and gives her a nod of thanks before tugging the other two, with some difficulty, into the room.

Maat can’t help the persistent smile on her lips as she watches Dean struggle to get Sam and Mae into the room. “Please be careful. The resident of this room is, very protective of their belongings.”

“No ones stays in here. My Grammy plays with fabric in here. But is not her room.” Lizzy frowns in disapproval as she looks around the room.

“Mmhmm.” Maat smiles.

“I thought you said she was in here?” Dean accuses with a frown not seeing the smallest kid anywhere in sight. 

“She’s just getting out of the shower.” Maat explains, as she goes over to a door and peeks her head into the bathroom, shaking her head as she pulls the small girl out. “Samara Lilly, stop. They were worried about you. You’re being ridiculous.”

Lilly just pulls the hood up on a fresh hoodie.

“If I had known why you had been so attracted to those in the store, I would not have purchased so many. You little turtle.” Maat chides the girl as she pushes her closer to the other kids, before she straightens up with her hands on her hips.

“Miss angel, who sleeps in here?” Lizzy asks as she walks over to a bedside table.

“Lilly’s.” Maat smiles, as she walks over to the bed and sits down primly, afraid to let the kids just wreak havoc in Lilly’s room. The girl would lose her tiny mind.

“Weally? This my woom? I’s can wead the books then.” Lilly responds excited.

“Lilly, I can play in your room?” Lizzy asks with a smile.

“Sure, is yer’s house, jus’ no ruin books.” Lilly shrugs going over to the other side of the bed curious what was in that one, Dean following right behind her. The two of them going through the contents

“Kay.” Lizzy grins as she opens the top drawer. “Whats kind of toys are these?”

“What toys?” Sammy asks as he rushes over to join Lizzy, his curiosity peaked. He looks down into the draw full of brightly colored toys he’d never seen before. “You has handcuffs.” He says pulling out a pair of handcuffs. “Let’s play cops and robbers!” He slaps one cuff on Mae and one on him. 

“We’s both robbers?” Lizzy giggles as she uses her free hand to press a button on one of the toys, jumping when it starts wiggling and making a really loud buzzing noise. “Oh’s there’s batteries in here.” Her face scrunches. “Or it's magic.”

“What?” Maat asks, standing up to see the toys the two youngest were getting into. “Oh, no. We can’t play with these.” She reaches down to turn the ‘toy’ off

“Why’s not? They’re like short lightsabers.” Sammy picks up one with his free hand and starts making whooshing noises.

Lizzy giggles as she grabs another one and mimics his noises. They both laugh as they start mock sword fighting.

“No, we’re not playing with these. Put them down.” Maat tries to keep from laughing, her head tilting when she sees that the two are connected by handcuffs. She shakes her head, wondering how Lilly was going to react if she remembered this when she was back to normal.

Dean looks over at the other two kids and blushes, recognizing them from the skin mags at the gas station. “Sammy put that down!” He snaps at his brother, causing Lilly to try to crawl on the bed to see what they were doing.

“No Lilly, you stay over there.” Maat chides, maybe her odd one wouldn’t die of embarrassment if she never knew what the littles had gotten into.

“Come here you weirdo.” Dean demands, pulling the girl back down with his hand on the top of her hoodie as he keeps it pressed into the side of his hip, ignoring her struggling.

“But I’s wanna know.” Lilly whines as she pushes at the taller boy. “Is my stuff.”

“But Maat told you to stay.” Dean reminds her.

“But I’s wanna know.” Lilly pouts says pushing at him harder.

“I thought you were suppose to listen to her.” Dean questions, looking between her and the lady with a frown.

“But I’s weally, weally, wanna know.” Lilly frowns.

“I promise you, you don’t.” Maat dead pans after she gets the cuffs off the kids and shoves it all back in the drawer. As an after thought she magics it shut. 

“You should listen to your lady. Besides, look, books.” Dean says grabbing a pop up, looking book from the drawer. “Here.” He says handing it to the girl.

“Oh?” Maat picks the two littles up, situating one on each hip before she walks around the bed to check on the other two.

“Fine, it wooks wike it’s ova anyways.” Lilly pouts trying to take the large book.

Dean looks from the large book, to the tiny girl and shakes his head. He puts the book on the bed before he picks her up so she can sit there and look through it instead. 

Lilly’s smile is shadowed as she sits indian style and pulls the large book closer, feeling very disappointed. “It’s jus’  pictures.” She frowns as she flips through the pages, upset with her adult self for being lazy. “There’s som’ writin.’”

Maat smiles when she realizes Lilly’s holding a scrap book, and puts the two in her arms on the bed at their struggled insistence. They crawl across the bed to join Lilly in looking at the book, sitting off to one side of her.

“Wait, That’s Uncle Bobby.” Lizzy calls out excitedly, her little finger touching his face in a picture where he was standing with two girls.

Unable to derail his own curiosity, Dean also gets on the bed, wanting to know what he had handed the girl. All four adjust to look at the pictures in the giant leather picture book.

They stay relatively quiet as Lilly flips through the pages, until they find pictures of John. “Hey that’s my dad!” Sammy pointing to the picture.

“Wow, but he looks old.” Dean frowns before he moves the book to get a better look at it. He furrows his brow at the pretty girl wrapped around his dad’s neck as they stood in an strange looking, dirty place. The next picture was John looking displeased directly at the camera, the third was John going to cover the camera, and the last of just a hand. The words ‘Good ol’ John’ were written in calligraphy at the top of the page.

“Dad doesn’t like pictures.” Dean sighs before he points to the laughing woman, “Who’s the pretty girl?” He asks as he looks up at Maat, figuring if he had to be nice, he might as well ask questions too.

“That’s Lizzy.” Maat smiles as she sits on the corner of the bed to look at the pictures over the children’s shoulders. 

“I’ms gonna be pretty like momma when I’s a grown up?” Mae asks, looking at the picture again, having a hard time imagining that the lady in the picture was her.

“Of course. The four of you are quite an attractive group of humans. You certainly turn heads.” Maat supplies.

“Look Sammy, that’s your girlfriend.” Dean teases.

“Shut up Dean. Lizzy’s my friend.” Sammy tells him, but he steals another look at the picture.

Dean just smirks before they turn the page, this one showing Bobby with a smaller lady as the two fought over a bag of skittles, ending with them both laughing when he got her in a headlock.  ‘Skittles for the Win’ was written on the top of the page.

“Who’s she?” Lizzy asks with a small frown as she looks from the picture to the girl swallowed up in the hoodie. It was hard to figure out if she looked like the older lady when Lilly never let her hood down for long.

“Lilly, being the little brat she is.” Maat smiles as she turns to Dean. “No, Dean it never changes. She’s actually much better at listening as a kid.” She teases as she leans over and pulls Lilly’s hood back down to pinch her cheek lightly.

“Why are you telling me this?” Dean groans as he puts his hand over his eyes and rubs them.

“Lilly, you’s pretty too.” Lizzy grins, “But you’s no grow very much.”

Lilly just blushes scarlet and pouts at the goddess before she throws her hood back up.

“No Lilly, no hood. We are inside the house.” Maat reprimands gently.

“So? I’s wike the hood.” Lilly grumbles.

“I said pull it back down Lilly.” Maat chides with a raised brow.

“Wight.” Lilly says as she pulls it back down, her eyes downcast, as she quickly turns the page in the book. 

She continues flipping through the pages in the book until they land on a picture with adult Lizzy hugging a giant, taken from an awkward angle with the words ‘Not a crush my ass!” written above it.

“That’s Lizzy and Sammy.” Maat says in amusement at the caption.

Dean’s eyes widen as he stares at the photo, “Sweet Jesus, what did I feed you?” he groans as he looks up to Maat, “Am I that big too?”

“You’re just a few inches shorter.” Maat says holding up two fingers, enjoying this new game the five of them were playing.

“I’m supposed to be the big brother.” Dean huffs as he glares at Sammy, “No more peanut butter and bananas for you.” He grumbles before flipping the page away from the image.

Lilly reaches out and pats his back. “I’s didn’t get much taller either.” She reminds him.

The next page has a picture of Lilly and a man reading together, her legs draped across his lap.

“Why’s I wif the angel?” Lilly asks with a tilted head.

“That’s Dean.” Maat corrects with an arched brow.

“No it’s the angel.” Lilly shakes her head.

“Sweety, the angel must be using Dean’s image in your dream. You know that dreamwalkers can change their shape and form.”

“Oh.” Lilly frowns before she pulls her hood up again. The angel and Dean were so pretty.

“I look good.” Dean says with a smug smile. Though his eyes weren’t on his image at the moment, but glued to the amount of boobs he was able to see with the way the girl’s shirt was laying across her chest.

Maat stifles a laugh at the boy’s thoughts, shaking her head.

The next several pictures were of the four of them, Lizzy and Sammy usually smiling and laughing while Dean and Lilly looking heated with one another. Lilly’s eyes were always a bright gold in those particular pictures.

Maat finds the captions for the pictures hilarious, especially about the ones dealing with Lilly and Dean. ‘Dean thinking he’s right again.’  in particular had Dean glaring at the book.

The kids finish looking through the book and close it.

“Why are we always fighting?” Dean complains as he looks between the goddess and Lilly.

“You’re not. Lilly just thinks those photos are funny.” Maat shakes her head.

“But we fight a lot?” Dean asks as she looks between Maat and Lilly.

“She goads you a lot Dean. I think you know it… Well, adult you knows it.” Maat tries to placate, as she does her best to hide her amusement from the boy. “I should go start on dinner, and you four should go play in the game room.”

“Dean saids we could plays hide and seeks again!” Lizzy exclaims happily as she jumps on the bed.

“I said maybe.” Dean grumbles as he watches the girl bounce. He was happy when Maat picks her up and puts her on the floor.

“I wanna pway.” Lilly adds. “I’s be it.” She adds quickly at the opportunity to think alone.

“Yeah, come on Dean.” Sammy begs his brother as he crawls down from the bed. “Please?” He adds as he stands next to Lizzy with large puppy dog eyes.

“I don’t think hide and seek is a good idea, maybe you four should play another game that doesn’t involve separating, and falling asleep.” Maat suggests, so Dean wouldn’t have too.

Lizzy and Sammy both scuff their toes on the floor as they shift uncomfortably at the reminder.

“We’ll figure something out, come on guys.” Dean says rolling off the bed and walking over to the two kids standing next to each other, taking each of their hands. “Lilly you too.”

Lilly sighs before she carefully tries to slide down from the bed. Maat smiles and quickly helps her, setting her with the rest of the children. 

She smiles as Sammy and Lizzy tug Dean out of the room while Lilly obligingly follows behind, but only because Dean was glaring at her.

It seemed that once a cupid mark was placed on the hearts of mortals, it bound them tightly; even when the two bound didn’t understand the why of what they were doing. It was interesting to observe, and was something she looked forward to discussing with her husband. After they’d either discovered a way to undo whatever curse this was, or had come to the conclusion that the family was stuck like this until they could grow up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there readers!
> 
> Thanks to the help of another reader who follows our other fandom, we're doing better getting that work edited. 
> 
> Which translates to- I have an easier time getting this one worked on. Though anyone wanting to help with grammar and spotting other small or similar mistakes would be super welcomed. You'd get access to all our finished chapters to work on at your leisure. 
> 
> No matter what happens, we're still resuming our posting schedule. Every Sunday, new chapter. Be sure to watch for it. :)
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> And now... an announcement:
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> Thanks to the persuasion of a few supporters, we are now working on getting a facebook page set up so we can better communicate with our readers. I'm working to get other social media platforms connected to it, so it isn't live yet, but soon will be. Our aim is to better connect with others in the fandoms we enjoy, those that enjoy reading our works, host contests, and also display works that celebrate the fandoms. Basically we want a place to fan-girl with other fans, where weird is not only normal, but preferable. I know we're both looking forward to see how this idea will grow.
> 
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> 
> Lots of love wayward fam!


	42. Battleships

107

 

Castiel walks Sam and Mae back to the altered game room; now a temporary bedroom and playroom. Their hair was still wet from the bathwater that neither had wanted to leave. Dean had filled the tub up three times to give them more bubbles to play with and, he suspected, to frustrate him. Mae and Sam both tug on his hands to get him to walk faster. 

“Where’s Dean?” Lilly asks as she runs up to them, bouncing on the heels of her feet. “Wha’s goin’ on? You wanna pway? We can pway tag! Whadda wanna pway? My tummy huwts. Wet’s do stuff. Whadda wanna do? Why’s you no dry yous hair? Can I’s pway with it? Whys we no pwayin’? Wha took you so long?” She shoots out quickly, barely intelligible. 

“Let’s play tag!” Sam shouts happily.

“O’tay, not it!” Lilly giggles happily, before she races out of the room, a red and gray blur.

“Not it!” Mae shouts as she takes off after her, 

“Not it!” Sam yells also rushing out of the room.

The angel and god stared after them quizzically. 

“What just happened?” Castiel asks.

“Maat’s punishment.” Thoth sighs and wipes at his brow, defeated before he exits at the sound of something breaking and one of the girls shrieking.

“Not it.” Thoth adds before he disappears from sight. 

“What? What are you not having to do? I do not understand. Thoth? Old One?  _ This is not funny! _ ” Castiel flaps to where the sound was. He doesn’t find the kids, but does find a tipped over and broken flower pot with a silver blade sticking out of the mess. “That is not good.” He shakes his head as he picks up the blade and shoves it in the closest drawer. He hears more screaming somewhere else in the house, and races towards it.

“That’s cold!” Mae shouts, doing her best to pump the water gun in her arms so she could return fire on Sam.

“We’s gonna get in so much twouble.” Lilly giggles happily as she continues to shoot the water gun at Mae, not wanting to gang up on Sam.  She was enjoying their game immensely and was trying her hardest to keep up with the other two, as she ignores the burning in her chest and the ache in her stomach.

“We’s playing tag, and no grown ups are tagging us yet.” Sam points out, aiming at Lilly.

“Sammy, I’s can nos make it works.” Mae pouts and stomps her feet in frustration; the large gun was simply too big for her to manage.

“We’s can switch.” Sam offers as he holds out the smaller pistol. 

“Thank you.” Mae smiles and trades with him.

“Gwown up!” Lilly shouts and points before all three of them shoot at Castiel, missing him completely. They scatter quickly before he can reach them.

“I don’t understand the premises of this game.” Castiel announces as water is sprayed on everything but him. 

“Yous tag someone and then they’s it.” Sam laughs at the angel before he runs off down the hall.

“What does it mean in this reference?” Castiel asks sternly.

“It means you have to tag them. You run up to one of them, tap them, and then run away. You have to stay away from the person that is it.” Thoth explains after reappearing. 

“How do you win? How do we get them in bed? I do not like this game.  _ And  _ where does the water come in.” Castiel frowns as he looks to the god in frustration.

“Water?” Thoth asks in confusion.

“They have Lilly’s ‘holy-guns’.” Castiel clarifies.

“Right.” Thoth says disappearing again.

“Thoth!” Castiel yells. “Do not leave me! I do not know how to handle this situation.” He calls out in exasperation.

“Yous guys is slow.” Mae teases as she aims for the back of the angel, having come back when no one chased after her.

“I am wet.” Castiel sighs as he turns around. “You have gotten me. Can you go to bed now?” He deadpans.

“Cause your slow.”Mae explains as if she were talking to a child. “And no.” She adds as she takes off running again, flying up the stairs.

Dean comes racing into the room, catching himself as he slips in a large puddle of water on the hardwood floor. “What the hell is going on?” He demands, still dripping from his shower as his pjs clung to him; he hadn’t risked taking more time to dry when he had heard the commotion.

“The children are playing tag with the holy-guns.” Castiel explains as he dries his coat.

Dean’s jaw drops. “Why do they have fucking guns? How?” He demands. “And what the hell are holy guns?” He growls in frustration. “You two are adults! I was in the shower for like ten minutes! You told me it would be fine.” He yells accusingly at the angel.

“They are holy water guns, Lilly made them when you were all normal.” Castiel frowns as he shifts slightly. It was odd to have a ten year old scolding him, even if the child in question was Dean. He was an angel of the lord, and he had zero control of these children. Who all seemed to have gone wild.

“They’re having a water gun fight?” Dean asks in exasperation as he rubs at his brow.

“And running away from us.” Castiel nods. “They shouted not it... How do you control them?”

“You suck with kids.” Dean snaps before he turns and starts hunting down the other children, afraid of what they could be getting into, upset they had separated.

“I know.” Castiel agrees easily. “It is not something soldiers of the lord are taught.” He frowns.

Dean shakes his head as he races around the bottom of the house, following a water trail, when he is suddenly shot in the face with a blast of cold water.

“Sowwys.” Lilly apologizes from her hiding spot behind the sofa. Her large grin making Dean think she was  _ everything  _ but. 

“I guess we’re playing hide and go seek again. I found you, you have to stay with me now.” Dean argues, holding out his hand for her to take.

“But we’s pwayin tag.” Lilly argues even as she moves towards him, still more bouncy than usual.

“The dumb grown ups didn’t know how to play. So now it’s hide and seek.” Dean grumbles as he waits for her.

“Oh, o’tay!” Lilly says as she drops the gun and takes his hand and tugs on him.  “ _ Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go. _ ” She giggles excitedly.

“Did you see which was Sammy or Lizzy went?” Dean asks.

“Upstaiws.” Lilly answers as she pulls him in that direction, growing incredibly frustrated when there's no give. She looks at him anxiously, why wasn’t he moving? Her heart was starting to  pound again and her lungs were beginning to burn from exertion.

“You two should go wait in the game room with me. The angel can find the other two, but Lilly is starting to feel sick.” Thoth says after appearing in front of them.

“Nuh uhs.” Lilly denies shaking her head, pulling harder at Dean’s hand.

“Lilly… You know you should always tell the truth to the gods.” Thoth reminds her, attempting to be gentle. He missed the days where a quick pin and a hand slam to the wall got her to listen; he frowned knowing doing such a thing now would surely send her spiraling into a panic attack.

“But we’s pwaying.” Lilly pouts.

“And you can still play in the game room.” Thoth sighs, leaving no room for argument as he ignores Dean and picks her up.

“I’s wanna wun fough. I’s weally no huwt.” Lilly argues as she struggles to be put back to the floor.

“You are not used to all this running Lilly. You are going to hurt yourself and get sicker than you already feel.” Thoth chides gently while still being stern.

Dean looks between the Lilly and Thoth with a frown, not sure what to do. He really wanted to find his brother and Mae, but knew the girl had something wrong with her.

“Castiel, tell Dean you will find the other two.” Thoth calls out, wanting to placate the boy.

“I will find Lizzy and Sammy.” Castiel calls back loudly from somewhere else in the house.

Dean looks around in frustration, “Fine.” He sighs resigned. “Let’s go take care of Lilly.” He holds his hands out for her, making it clear that he was still in charge of them.

“You’s no fun.” Lilly whines. “I’s fine.” She squirms reaching for Dean, hoping he’d let her play. 

With a sigh, Thoth hands Lilly to Dean. “Here. Take her, don’t let her run. I’ll trust you to do that while I help the obviously incompetent angel find your siblings.”  

Dean settles the tiny girl’s legs around his waist as he sets her on his hip before he nods to Thoth with a frown. “Let’s go find something fun to play with Lilly.” He tells her, before he takes off for the gameroom.

“Buts I’s wanted to pway wif Sammy and Lizzy.” Lilly pouts as she looks up at him.

“The angel and I are going to bring them back to the room, you can play with them then.” Thoth says through gritted teeth before he heads up the stairs.

“Alright.” Dean shakes his head before placing Lilly down on the pull out bed.

“He’s gone! We’s pway now?” Lilly asks as she runs to the bed and climbs it, so she could bouncing on the mattress.

“Yeah, we can play, but no running.” Dean adds the rule on at the end.

“Yous no fun eifer.” Lilly pouts, as she flops back on the mattress dramatically. 

“I’m lots of fun.” Dean argues as he ruffles her hair. “Wanna play a game with me?”

“O’tay.” Lilly nods her head, sitting up and squirming off the bed.

“Let’s go find one in the closet.” Deans holds out his hand and helps her off the bed.

“You’s can pick out game.” Lilly chirps as she spins in circles until her lungs and stomach hurt too much and she falls down in a fit of wheezing giggles.

“Right, I’ll call ‘em out, how’s that sound?” Dean asks, smiling at her.

“O’tay.” Lilly get’s out as she tries to focus on the multiple Deans, letting out a peel of wheezing laughter.

Dean walks over to the closet and begins pulling games out, calling out titles as he went. “Clue, Operation, Connect Four, Labyrinth, Jenga, Oooh Battleships, Candyland, Mousetrap-”

“Battow Shifs.” Lilly calls out, noting it was the only one he actually seemed interested in..

“Really?” Dean asks excitedly.

“Uh huh, I’s newer pway fat one. You’s need ta splain the wules. No cheatin’.” Lilly smiles as she rolls onto her stomach and calms her breathing. Maybe Thoth had been right. Her stomach hurt. She sighs as she slowly sat back up her hand on her stomach. Was she still hungry? She frowns as she pulls one of the brightly wrapped candies out of her pocket and unwraps it before she takes an experimental bite.

“I can teach you to play.” Dean assures her as he brings the big box over to the table. He walks over to help her stand when he notices that she had a fistful of brownie. “What are you doing?”

“My tummy huwts.” Lilly frowns as she takes another bite.

“I bet your tummy hurts because you ate too much.” Dean shakes his head and holds his hand out for the candy.

Lilly tilts her head as she looks at him in confusion. 

Dean sighs. “Look, have you ever played with a balloon?”

Lilly thinks about it before she shakes her head. “I’s seen fem fough.”

Dean frowns. “Do you know what happens if you put too much water or air in them?”

Lilly frowns as she thinks about it. “Fey pops.” She smiles, happy with herself.

Dean nods. “Well, that kind of thing can happen to your tummy. You have to stop eating when you’re full. Hungry hurting feels different than too full hurting.” He explains.

Lilly’s eyes widen in fear at the thought and she reaches out to give him the candy. “Yous has…” She frowns.

Dean nods as he takes the rest of the uneaten candy from her. “You just have to be a little more careful. It will stop after a while. You’ll be okay.” He pats her on the top on her head.

Lilly blushes and immediately draws up her hood, before she stands up. “Game now?” She mumbles.

Dean smiles as he helps her to sit in the chair, even bringing her a pillow to help her sit taller. “Okay, so we’re pretending that we’re in charge of these ships, and we are enemies, so we have to fire the torpedoes at each other. So, you set your ships up on this side.” He points to the bottom of her board piece, “And when you fire your torpedoes, you put a marker here.” He points to the side of her board. “You have to get all my ships before I get yours. You call out where your torpedoes are gonna go with the numbers and letters here.” He points out the grid for her before he looks at her. “You got all that?” He asks, wanting to make sure she understood. At her nod, he goes to sit in his own seat.

“O’tay, so I’s pwace my sips an’ call out the numbah’s an’ wetter’s for yous?” Lilly asks excited as she starts laying out her pieces in a rune for war. “An’ I’s put the red torfedoes in the hits part?”

“Yep, we can play a few practice games first, so you can get use to it.” Dean says, setting up his own pieces. “The red pins are for when you hit me or I hit you, the white ones are for misses.”

“O’tay.” Lilly nods in understanding. “Yous fist.”

“Ok, so, my first torpedo is going to go on D-6. Did I hit or miss?”

“Miss.” Lilly says after carefully looking at her pieces. 

“Shoot.” Dean puts a white pin in his board. “Now it’s your turn.”

“F-6?” Lilly asks.

“Aww, you hit me. So you get to use a red pin.” Dean explains as he secretly moves one of his ships before slipping a red pin into it.

“O’tay.” Lilly looks up at her screen to do as instructed.

“Now it’s my turn again.” Dean calls out another location.

“Hit.” Lilly exclaims as she puts a marker in her ship. 

“Sweet.” Dean says as he smiles at her. “So, what’s wrong with you? Why do the ‘dults get worried bout ya playin’?” He asks after she calls out another location.

Lilly tilts her head slightly to the side. “I’s don’ know. Firse time they have...” She mumbles with a small shrug as she scans for the location. She scrunches her face when he realized he’d hit her again and marks it. “Hit.”

“You look like you get tired quickly, and like, you get pale and breath funny when you run.” Dean shrugs after saying his sequence.

“My wungs huwt aftah wunning. I’s usually no pway wif ofer kids, I’s jus’ wead an’ pway wif Viola.” Lilly responds shifting with discomfort. She frowns as he hits another ship and marks it, letting him know.

“I could help you work on that, I have to train to be a superhero like my dad, sometimes it makes my lungs hurt too.” Dean offers as her furrows his brow in concentration. She had mentioned Viola before; had told him she was a monster that hid under the bed. That couldn’t be right though. Monsters that hid under your bed and in the closet killed kids. She might be kinda puny, but she was still alive. That didn’t make sense, so what was Viola then?

“Why?” 

“Why what?”

“Why’s yous wungs huwt?” 

“Dad says its cause I don’t have enough stamina yet. I think stamina is like energy or something.”

“Oh. Here’s.” Lilly mumbles as she lowers herself to the ground and walks over to the books. She scans them for a moment before she pulls down a dictionary and looks up Stamina. “The abiwity to sustain prowonged physicol or mentol effort.” 

“Yeah, so, like energy.”

“If yous use big wowds you should know wha’ fey mean.” Lilly frowns at him. “Yous can gets in twoubles if you use wowds yous no know the definitions too.”

Dean shrugs. “It’s what my dad says short stack.”

“I’s not fat showt.” Lilly grumbles as she does her best to put the large book on the table, mumbling a thank you as Dean does it for her.

“You are to me. But anyway… I can help you build your stamina. Everyday I get better at it.”

“Weally?” Lilly beams happily, before she looks down embarrassed. “I’s like fat… It’s dumb. I wanna pway somestimes too.” She adds more subdued as she organizes her white and red markers. This boy was weird. He sounded like the social workers did, and it was making her uncomfortable.

“Yeah, I’ll show you what Dad has Sammy doing to train, but we’re probably going to have to work you up to it.”

“Yous dad twains you ta be a supah hewo?” Lilly asks apprehensively, even as her eyes widen with admiration.

“Yeah, he hunts monsters, and he says one day we will too. It’s the family business.” Dean tells her, getting them back into the game by calling out another location.

“You’s should hunts down all snakes.” Lilly tells him as she marks a miss.

“Why?” Dean asks as he looks at her with a frown.

“Feys dumb... An’ no likes me.” Lilly grumbles. “Fey’s why we’s move so much.” She frowns, before she calls out her coordinates. 

“You have to move a lot because of snakes?” Dean asks, making sure he heard her right.

“Uh huh, buts nows we’s wif our gods… I wish Ahmes was still talkin’... But Maat says she’s sick.” Lilly frowns as she looks down at the board kicking her feet. “An’ I fink Viola’s mad at me.”

“Well, I’m gonna protect you from snakes too.” Dean says quickly, not wanting her to think she could only trust the grown ups.

Lilly looks up at him, her eyes scanning him as she tilts her head to the side. She didn’t understand the boy sitting across from her at all. “Yous no has to do fat. Fey’s mean.”

“I mean it! We’re a family, I don’t want anything to hurt you. And I know you’ve had a hard life too. Mine doesn’t seem so bad anymore, at least I had Sammy.”

Lilly nose crinkles. “I has Viola an’ Ahmes when she no sick.” She corrects as she looks at him. “Dean, we’s jus’ met…I’s has new famwy’s all the time, fats no how it woks. I’s jus’ leave ‘gain.” She says softly. 

“Where is Viola? Why do you think she’s mad at you?” Dean asks. If she really was being followed by a monster, he needed to know and tell at least Bobby.

“She lives in the shadows. I’s no know where she is wight now...” 

“Why does she live in the shadows?”

“Because the sun hurts her.” Lilly frowns.

Dean’s eyes widen. “Is she a vampire?”

“No-ah” Lilly shakes her head, the way he said it made it sound bad. “She has fangs fough.” She adds as she tilts her head to the side. 

Dean narrows his eyes slightly. “Has she ever hurt you?” Dean asks with a frown. “What do you guys do?”

“No.” Lilly shakes her head. “We’s pway games wike dungeons an’ dwagons an wead an’ hide togefer’s an’ pway’s games, an’s sings.”

“What’s dungeons and dragons?” Dean tilts his head to the side.

Lilly frowns. “Its a pwetends game. I’s a pweistess.”

Dean tilts his head to the side. “What does Viola look like?” Why hadn’t he just asked that to begin with?

“She’s weally pwetty likes my wady. An’ talls, like fof, an’ has weally white skin, an’  weally black eyes an’ hairs an’ fangs an’ she has shadow tentacles fat she frows mes wif.” Lilly smiles as she pictures her friend. She really did miss her.

Dean shakes his head. Viola must be like an imaginary friend or something. He’d never heard of a monster like that. He was still gonna mention it to Bobby, just to be safe. “It’s gonna be different this time Lilly.” He promises her, getting back to the original topic. “No one’s taking you away from us, I won’t let them. Neither will your Gods.”

“I’s no know… fat’s what happens Dean. I’s sowwy.” Lilly frowns at him.

“But I’ll stop it if it does. I’ll beat them up.” Dean explains with a frown, his determination making him look older than his ten years. “No one else can take you.”

Lilly’s quiet for a moment as she looks down kicking her legs nervously. She shoves her hands  into her hoodie pocket to twist her fingers around the fabric, wrappers crinkling at the movement. “Weally? Cause I’s weally, weally, wike it here. I’s no wanna go away gains.”

Dean stands up, ignoring their game as he walks over to hug her. “Then we’ll stay, no one can take you from here, remember, Maat says it’s protected. And I’m gonna protect you too.” He promises.

Lilly remains quiet as she takes her hands out of her pockets, the blanket still clutched in one hand as she hugs him; candy falling at their feet. She really wasn’t sure what to say to him and didn’t really understand the pain in her chest as she clutches onto the older boys shirt. She sniffles and her eyes burn and she begins crying, hiding her face in his neck.

“Are you crying?” Dean asks, not pulling back to look, but shocked when he feels a hot tear hit his neck.

“I’s confuzed...” Lilly admits with a small sniff. 

“About what?” Dean asks.

“I’s no know.” Lilly shakes her head, sounding incredibly lost.

“That’s ok.” Dean says, rubbing her back the way he did for Sam when he got upset. He watches as she snuggles into him with a small frown. Why was she crying? He hadn’t seen her cry once since they had woken up. She’d freaked out. She’d argued. She’d swung and bit people. She pulled her hood up; but he hadn’t seen her cry.  “Wanna read a book together?” He offers.

Lilly makes a noise that sounds like an affirmation, but doesn’t let go.

Dean smiles as he picks her up to look for a book he could read to her in the small pile Maat had brought in for them. “These are dumb.” He frowns at the children’s books before walking over to the bookshelf where he had seen the big comic books. He picks up the first one he see’s with the batman logo. “You like superheros, ever hear of batman?”

Lilly nods.

 

“Awesome. You’ll love this then.” Dean gets them both settled into the bed, happy when she doesn’t argue like she had the previous night before they hear a sound from the doorway.


	43. Toys in the Attic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sammy and Lizzy discover toys in the attic, and then they do what kids do best.
> 
> Later Thoth and Castiel learn that Lilly's allergies were much worse when she was a kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey wayward readers,
> 
> We'd like to take this opportunity to tell you guys that we're posting chapters that have not been thoroughly edited. While we're confidant that most major gross grammar mistakes are taken care of, little things can still pile up. So we apologize in advance, but we really just want to get these chapters out to you all. Eventually we will be going back through and fixing them. But for now, we hope you enjoy this chapter; Toys in the Attic.

108.

 

“Come on Sammy, they no find us up here.” Lizzy giggles as she pulls Sam behind her by his shirt while they run for the attic stairs.

Sam laughs with her as he pumps the water gun just in case one of the grown ups came up the stairs. “Where are we going Lizzy?”

“The attic. There’s always lots to play with in the attic.” 

“Okay! Sounds fun.” Sam smiles as he races up the stairs hand in hand with Mae the two of them trying to contain their giggles. 

Lizzy opens the door to the attic, carefully closing it behind them before they race up to a large open room. Boxes and sheet covered furniture was set up in a maze for easier navigation. Lizzy climbs up onto a nearby box and pulls a string as soft light flooded the room. 

“Wow, this place is huge!” Sam laughs as the light comes on and he runs to the giant window. He had never been in an attic before and he had not expected one to look like this. 

“Poppy lets me play up here when Grammy tells him to cwean it…” Lizzy nods as she looks around a frown tugging at her lips. “But, it looks different too.” She shakes her head before she jumps down from the box, and runs to join Sam by the window.

“This is so cool!” Sam exclaims as he bounces from one area to another before he puts down his gun and pulls the sheet off of a couch. His nose scrunches at the design before he shakes his head and proceeds to climb on top of it to start jumping.

“This box says toys!” Lizzy shouts after sounding out the word on the side of the box. She starts trying to tip the taller than she was box to its side.

“Oooh. Really?” Sam asks as he jumps off of the couch and races over to help her with the large box.. 

The two of them work in tandem to tip it on it’s side before they race over to rip off the tape. The colorful contents of the box spilling over the floor. They look to each other with smiles before they kneel infront of the found treasure before they both begin sifting through the toys. 

“Wait, these are my toys. Why is them up here?” Lizzy pouts as she hugs her favorite stuffed squirrel to her chest.

“The grown ups say we older, maybe older you isn’t fun?” Sam suggests. “What’s you wanna play?”

“Wanna’s play doctors?” Lizzy asks as she pulls the doctor’s bag her daddy had gotten her out of the pile.

“O’kay, yous can be my nurse.” Sam nods collecting the stuffed animals to put on the couch. He lines them up like little patients. “Do you has a doctor coat?” He asks looking up at her with a smile. 

“Here doctors Sammy.” Lizzy smiles as she opens the bag and pulls out the little play coat.

“Awesome!” Sam exclaims before rushing over and to take the coat and slip it on. “Okay, Nurse Lizzy who’s our first patient?” He asks with mock seriousness, his hands in the pockets. 

Lizzy giggles before she can straighten her face out. She pulls out her stethoscope and hangs it around Sam’s neck like her dad wore it. “There. I’ll go gets Shelly Doctor Sammy.” She looks around for a place to be the pretend exam room. She picks the sheet up and clumsily covers the box the toys had spilled from, doing her best to make it look like her father’s table.

Sam looks through the doctor’s bag and pulls out the band aids, wraps, and thermometer to prepare for his patients.   

Lizzy walks over to the couch and grabs her little turtle. She coos gently to it as she walks back over. “Don’t worries Shelly. Doctor Sammy is gonna fixes you right up.” She places the turtle in the middle of the exam table.

Sam pets the stuffed turtle’s head before he holds the stethoscope up to the turtle. “Her heart beat is normal, but it looks like she sprained her shell.” He says somberly.

“Poor Shelly.” Mae shakes her head sadly. “What’s we gonna do?”

“We’s gonna have to wrap her shell and gives her some medicine to bring home, but she should makes a full recovery.” Sam says seriously with a curt nod.

“Yes Doctor.” Mae responds, taking her job just as seriously. 

They then proceed to wrap the turtle in an excessive amount of bandages.

“Okay she should be alright now.” Sam nods his head. “Please make sure to give her a lollipop, Nurse Lizzy.”

“I’s bring in the nest pay- cent Doctor Sammy.” Mae tells him happily, as she gently picks up the stuffed turtle and walks her to the couch to set her hand and hands to the turtle an imaginary lolly pop as she gently pats her head, assuring the turtle that she would be fine. She looks over the rest of the ‘patients’ before she picks up the teddy bear cradling it to her hip. “It’s okay Mistah Teddy, Doctor Sammy’ll take goods cares of yous.” She tells the bear gently as she walks back to the table.

“Thank you Nurse.” Sam says rearranging his supplies and checking his imaginary chart, pretending to check things off with a few somber nods. 

“Don’t worry Teddy, Doctor Sammy is in today.” Mae says, mimicking the way the nurses at her dad’s office talked.

“Oh, hello Mr. Teddy, let’s see what’s wrong with you.” Sam says going through the same motions, conferring with Mae before  they eventually decide the teddy bear had the fluffy flu.

“Sammy?” Mae asks suddenly.

“Yes Lizzy?” Sam smiles up at her as they give the teddy bear a pretend shot.

“Is yous upset the grown ups says we’s together?” Mae asks, her head tilted to the side as she continued playing with the teddy bear.

“I dunno, you’re fun to play with...” Sam answers after a moment, his brows drawn together in deep thought. He eventually just shrugs.“No I’m not upset, I think it’s kinda weird, but yous the firse girl I have ever spent a lot of time with.” He smiles at her..

“I’s likes playing with you too.” Mae nods with a smile, looking down with wide eyes and a blush.

“Are you okay with it?” Sam asks as he fiddles with the stethoscope. 

“The peoples in the pitures looks like happy.” Mae shrugs. “Do you really think that’s us?”

“I don’t know. Why would the angels would lie?” Sam asks after a moment's thought..

“Daddy says angels no lie.” Mae offers before she furrows her brow. “But, then the angel that talks to me when I’s sleeping isn’t lying, and the angels here is no lying. I’s just, no understand.”

Sam looks up at her, thinking hard about the pictures he had seen. He walks around the ‘exam table’ and gives her a hug. “It’s okay Lizzy. No matter whats, we’re family now. We’ll always be friends, and plays together. Okay?” He says gently as he squeezes her tight. He didn’t want her to cry again.

Mae smiles and hugs him back. “Okay. Let’s go checks on the other pay-cents Doctors Sammy.” She pulls him by the hand over to the couch, where they continue to wrap the toys up in bandages.

“Wanna plays spaceship?” Sam asks after they run out of bandages.

“Uh huh!” Mae exclaims excitedly. 

Sam runs over to the cardboard box pulling the sheet up until it revealed the opening to the box. “Come on cos-pilot.” 

With a grin Mae throws herself into the box with him. They lay on their back, side by side, pretending to blast off on an adventure into space. They run around a while longer, hopping across rivers of lava on Mars, hiding from aliens and rescuing the princess of squirrels from the clutches of the alien squid and his minions. They had just jumped back in their spaceship to bring the princess home when they heard footsteps on the stairs. 

“Lizzy? Sammy? Are you two in here?” They hear Castiel call from across the room.

The two kids attempt to stifle their laughter as they hide, pleased with their new game of hide and seek. They both cover their mouths with their hands, trying to stay quiet but every time they glance at each other they begin giggling.

“Sammy? Lizzy? Come on out, Dean’s looking for you two.” Castiel calls out.

They giggle again. Sam holds his finger to Mae’s lips, trying to tell her to be quiet.

The two scream and come tumbling out when the box is upturned. They look up to see Thoth and Castiel looking down at them with disapproval.

“We found you. We win.” Thoth sighs with a shake of his head,  watching as they giggled and untangled themselves.

“But now it’s time for bed.” Castiel explains as he bends down to pick Mae up.

Thoth picks up Sam. Both divine beings blinking out of the room rather than using stairs, almost like they were in a race to get their charge to bed quicker. They appear outside the children’s game room. Thoth smiling at Castiel who just stares back blankly.

“I’s go down now?” Mae asks as she points to the floor with a small frown. Happy when Castiel does as asked. She waits patiently for Thoth to relinquish his hold on Sam. The two young children immediately reaching out for the other’s hand as they race into the room.

“Sammy, Lizzy!” Dean greets. He immediately rolls off the bed, abandoning the book behind him as he races off to the two younger kids, checking them over for any injuries. “Where were you two? Didn’t I say to stick together?” Dean chastises them, even as he looks over the shoulder for their ‘Godians’ surprised when he sees neither.

“We’s saw Lilly hides so we hides in the attic, and wes did Dean. Sammy and I’s stay together.” Mae tells him matter-of-factly, as she wiggles to get away and play more.

“I meant all four of us. We need to stay together. Some of us can’t keep up with the others.” Dean sternly explains in a hushed tone.

“Sorry Dean” Sam and Mae both say as they look to the ground in contrition.

“It’s fine. I was just about to read Lilly a story. Do you two want to join us?” Dean asks.

“I’s wanna play still.” Mae says with a few jumps to show her excitement. She looks to Sam to see what he wanted to do now. “Sammy has the best games.”  

Dean looks the two younger ones over for a moment while he thought about it, weighing it for a long moment. “Okay, but there’s rules.” He says ignoring both of their whining.

“One. You can’t leave the room. Two, we’re staying together.  Three, If you need help reachin’ somethin’ ya ask me. Four, when I say it’s time for bed, no arguing. You’ll both brush your teeth, use the bathroom and go to bed.” Dean’s quiet for a moment as he make sure he hadn’t left anything out before he asks. “Do you understand?” 

“But, what if we’s no tired?” Mae asks with a frown.

“Well I can just read to you until you fall asleep.” Dean tells her with a shake of his head.

Mae seems to think this over for a few seconds before she smiles, “Ok, we can play now?”

“Sammy?” Dean turns to his brother and looks to him expectantly.

“I understand Dean, no leaving, ask for help, don’t argue.” Sam repeats back as he ticks off the rules on his fingers.

Mae nods in agreement.

“Okay. You guys can play.” Dean lets the little ones go before heading back to the bed, sitting as Lilly hands him the graphic novel.

Sam and Mae play tag, chasing each other around the room at full speed.

“Is it safe for fem to bes wunning round wike that?” Lilly asks her eyes drawn to the other kids, watching them with concern, wincing at several near misses, at thing’s clattered nearly tipping from the counters. Her fingers twist in her blanket from anxiety of just watching the other two almost break things in the nice house they were in.

Dean pauses looking up from the book, one hand coming up to ruffle her hair. “I’m sure they’re fine.”

“But wat if we’s bweak stuff?” Lilly asks nervously.

“It’s just stuff Lilly. If I can fix it, I’ll fix it. If I can’t well... Apparently it’s our stuff. Who cares?” Dean reasons, before he turns her head back to the book, leaving his hand there and scooting closer to her to continue reading.

Mae comes to a sudden stop, falling forward on her face when Sam runs full force into her.

“I’m sowwy Lizzy, I couldna stop.” Sam says, trying to carefully get off the girl under him.

“Lizzy? Sammy? You two okay?” Dean asks rushing over to the fallen girl. Helping both kids untangle themselves. “Rule five. Don’t run around so fast that you can’t stop yerselves.”

Sam was ok, and told him so. Mae’s lower lip was bleeding and her knee and one hand had been skinned and was also bleeding. She looked unconcerned by this though as she cries out. “I’s forgot my squirrel. She’s still in the attic.” She pouts to Dean when he pulled her to sit up.

“Remember rule one Lizzy. No leaving the room.” Dean frowns at her.

Lilly wanders over at the sight of the other girl’s blood. “You’s o’tay Lizzy?” She asks with concern.

Mae looks down at her hand and knee, seeing the blood for the first time. She holds a finger to her lip, “I’s hurts here.” She says with a slightly trembling lip.

“We’s need ice.” Lilly says after she examines the lip closer. “And band-aids and wubbin’ ah’col.”

“No! Thats hurts.” Mae cries, as she pulls her hand protectively to her chest and tucks her knee closer to her and away from the other girl.

“Buts its gets infected, an’ then’s it’s has ta get cut off. Yous needs to cwean it pwowpely.” Lilly insists .

Mae looks at her hand and the blood on her fingers from where she had touched her lip. “I wants... My Daddy.” She cries out loudly as fresh tears fall down her face.

Dean shoots a dark look at Lilly. “Why would you say that?” He demands even as he kneels down to the other girl, cooing at her.

“Cause tha’s what the dult’s said.” Lilly responds as she shrinks back, her hands coming up to raise her hood, not sure what she had done wrong. She was just worried about the other girl. She didn’t want her to have her limbs cut off. “We’s weally needs ta cwean it. Theys gonna cut it off.” She continues insistent, worried about Dean’s lack of concern her fingers back to twisting in her pocket.

“It’s ok Lizzy. I can be a doctor again. I’ll go find bandaids. Dean, let me go get stuff for her.” Sam begs as he tugs on Dean’s shirt.

“Sammys, don’t let them cut off my hand.” Mae cries as she scrambles to hide behind Sam.

“I won’t let them cut off your hand Lizzy, I promise!” Sam exclaims, still tugging on Dean so he could go get the medical supplies.

“Why is Lizzy in distress? What is going on?” Castiel asks as he walks back into the room

“I don… Wanna gets my hand cuts… Off!” Mae screams between her sobs.

“Who is threatening to cut off your hand?” The angel asks confused. “Is this another game? I do not understand. Why are you crying?”

“She’s hurt. I just need a couple band aids.” Dean comments with an eye roll.

“Oh is that all?” Castiel asks, reaching down and tapping the small girl with two fingers. “There. Stop crying please.”

Lizzy looks down at her knee and hand, finding her skin healed. She touches her lip and smiles when it doesn’t hurt. “You fixeded me.” She says with a smile at the angel.

Lilly’s eyes widen in awe. “That is so cools!” She exclaims. “Is it cwean too?” She asks still very concerned about the other girl getting an infection.

“Yes, I fixed you Lizzy, and yes Lilly, I made sure it was clean.” Castiel assures as he kneels down next to the four of them.

“Wow.” Lilly says looking at the angel reverently, wishing she could clean and heal with a touch.

Mae wraps her arms around the angel’s arm. “Can we’s go get my squirrel? Pwease? I can bring down sleepy toys for everyone. Pwease Mr. Cass, Pwease.” She puts her head on his shoulder and looks up at him with wide eyes.

“Rule one and two. Lizzy, we talked about-Fuck. I hate this house.” Dean curses as the Angel leaves with the girl, before he turns to Lilly. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you tell her that?” He demands

Lilly cowers as she takes a step back. “Ms. Beth said fat’s injuwies has to be cut off if you no cwean fem.” She repeats herself nervously, biting her lip, as she rubs her thumbs over her blanket.

“Ah… That’s only if it’s really really really bad Lilly. Lizzy’s were just scrapes. They wouldn’t have cut her up for that.” Dean tries to explain to her.

“They’s said its grows bactewia, thats can eats yer fwesh, an’ its grows bigah and bigah till fat’s happens…”

“Well, I’ve been hurt loads of times, look.” Dean says as he pulls the leg of his PJs up and shows her a long scar. “I didn’t have nothing to clean it with when I got it, and I’m ok.”

Lilly steps closer and examines the scar. “You’s weally no cwean it? Fat’s dangowous Dean, yous should take bettah caah yerself.” She says softly as she looks up at him in concern.

“Dean’s a superhero. He can do anything.” Sam says proudly.

“Oh...so’s fat’s yer superpower? Kinda wike Wowerweenes? You’s a healah?” Lilly asks, finally standing up straight  looking up at Dean in admiration. 

“Well, no. It took a long time to heal, but I didn’t have to get it cut off. We didn’t have anything to clean it with, I had to sew it up.” Dean explains sheepishly, not sure why he was glad she was looking at him like that.

“Bu’ ish fine. Yous fine.” Lilly says, patting his arm, before she turns to look at the graphic novel Dean had been reading to her. “Wes wai fors Wizzy an’ weads again?” She asks, climbing back into the bed and holding the book out for Dean.

Dean smiles at her and picks Sam up before he joins her to continue reading the big comic book about Batman.

“Deeeeaaannnn, I no likes the clown.” Sammy says, hiding his face in his hands when Dean turns the page to a giant spread of the Joker.

“Jokah no Ka’wown he’s cwazy supah vilwan.”  Lilly corrects with a frown. 

“Hims scary.” Sam insists as he turns his head into Dean.

“Well, yeah he’s vilwan.” Lilly responds staring at the other boy with a ‘duh’ face. “He’s kill cwazy, an’ sets people on fiwe, an’ is awesome vilwan. Bat’s man has alls the awesome vilwans.”

“I won’t let him get you Sammy.” Dean says in comfort, rubbing his hand on Sammy’s shoulder. He shakes his head at the tiny girl with a smile. Batman was his favorite hero, it was cool that she also seemed to like them;  _ even _ if it was just for the villains.

Lilly digs her head into Dean’s shoulder from the other side. He looks down at her in confusion. “What’s wrong? I thought you liked the villains?”

“Angel back.” Lilly mumbles into his shirt.

Sure enough, by the time his eyes had lifted, there stood Castiel with Mae in one arm and a small pile of toys in the other. 

“I’s brings sleep toys.” Mae says proudly. “Mr.Cass helped me pick them out.” She pats his shoulder affectionately.

“I believe we picked out good toys for each of you.” Castiel nods before he deposits the small pile on the foot of the bed before he swings Mae from his side to add her to the pile.

Mae giggles, looking up at him, “I’s no sleep toy Mr. Cass.” She rolls to the side.

Castiel smiles down at her before he turns suddenly, realizing that they hadn’t even tried putting a movie in for them. Maybe that would help them calm down. It made them all tired when they were the right age. He begins searching through the collection of DVDs, looking for one in particular that the girls had both told him was a must see.

Dean looks at the pile of stuffed animals with a quirked brow, but puts the book down, pages down to keep his place before he goes to check on Lizzy, still upset she had just willingly left with the angel. 

Sam immediately moves to Mae and takes her hand, taking a protective stance next to her while blocking part of her with his own body.

“I’s brought yous the puppy you like Sammy.” Mae says with a small smile as she pulls out the pound puppy with a bandaged tail from the pile and hands it to him.

“Thank you Lizzy.” Sam smiles graciously, happily taking the stuffed animal from Mae and hugging it to him. He wasn’t allowed to have stuffed animals, cause they were girl toys, but he’d always wanted one.

“I broughts you two Lilly.” Mae grins at the other girl.

“Weally?” Lilly asks from where she had been left on the bed as she shuffles down and walks over curiously.

Mae holds up a stuffed turtle covered in bandages and a small stuffed Cardinal with a bandaged wing. “Mr.Cass says yous like turtle, but Is think yous like Robin, cause yous like red.”

Lilly smiles at the other girl and hesitantly takes the offered stuffed animals. “Fank you Lizzy.” She responds softly. She pulls her black blanket with weird symbols and cute but odd animals all over it from out of her hoodie pocket and wraps the stuffed animals in it holding them closely.

“And I’s bring yous a tiger Dean.” Mae holds the last toy out to him, the tiger’s paws all wrapped up.

“Thanks Lizzy. How’d you know I liked tigers so much?” Dean asks as he takes it from her with a hug. He’d never been given a stuffed animal before, his Dad called them girl toys. But this tiger looked seriously cool, like a real one.

“Mr. Cass says ones of your favarite songs had tigahs eyes.” Mae says her face scrunched with disgust.

“Uh, yeah. It’s an awesome song. If we can find a radio maybe I’ll find it so you can hear it.” Dean says as he gives Castiel a quick, suspicious glance before he turns back to Mae and musses her hair.

“You like to listen to it when you work on the Impala.” Castiel states before he pops a dvd into the player and turns on the television. He turns back to look at the children with his head tilted to the side. “Do any of you need anything?”

“Here. Drinks. Snacks. Enjoy.” Thoth announces as he enters the room with a large tray overladen with a plethora of junk food, and several mugs of hot chocolate. He had placed the ritual on the food, for dreamless sleep, with a sleep aide in the hot chocolate. He walkes over and places the tray next to the bed. 

Lilly quietly makes her way over to the food the minute Thoth walks away from it, her hand immediately shoving into the popcorn bowl where she proceeds to stuff her mouth chipmunk style.

“Are we’s watching a movie?” Mae asks excitedly as she hugs her squirrel to her.

“Yes. You and Lilly insisted I watch it. It’s a cartoon. It was… Interesting.” Castiel responds with a small smile.

“Are yous watching with us?” Mae asks him excitedly, wiggling to the side of the bed and rushing over to him. Dean rolls his eyes as he walks behind her, afraid she’d be taken away again. Sam moves right behind his brother.

“Yes we are.” Thoth responds for the angel as he walks over to a chair. He picks up a large leather bound book none of the kids remembered seeing there earlier.

“Apparently.” Castiel responds with a small smile.

“Yay!” Mae exclaims as she takes Castiel’s hand and pulls him over to the recliner to sit near them.

Sam stays next to Dean, even though all he wanted to do was go get Mae. “Lizzy, you wants to play more, while the others watch movie?” He asks hoping to draw the girl away.

“We’s can make a fort to watch movies?” Mae asks excitedly as she claps her hands and jumps in excitement.

“Yeah! That sounds awesome we should make a fort.” Sam agrees as he starts to take the blankets and sheets off the bed with Mae’s help.

Castiel watches them curious about what type of fort they could possibly be building from such weak materials. He stands from his appointed seat, deciding to help the kids.

“No. That’s for sleeping.” Thoth doesn’t bother to look up before he waves a hand creating a giant canopy of sheets, the draping big enough for four adults let alone children. Fairy lights decorated the opening that faced the television, and were strewn back and forth giving the fort a soft glow. The floor now covered in a plethora of soft multi-colored pillows and blankets with four bean bag chairs. 

“Magic is so cool!” Sam exclaims as he pulls Mae by the hand, wanting to get away from the adults so they could go play.

“I can’t do that.” Castiel glares at Thoth.

“All angels have differnts magic?” Mae asks him, her head tilted to the side in confusion, shooting Sam a look. 

“No. Some of us are cooler than others.” Thoth responds smoothly smiling over his book at Mae.

“Well I can heal.” Cass counters with a sharp look.

“They’re kids, they don’t care about that.” Thoth smugly replies leaning back in his chair and just goes back to reading.

“But Mr. Cass fixded me when I was hurt.” Mae says as she looks to Castiel. “That was cool too.” 

“Lizzy thinks it’s cool.” Castiel says with a small triumphant smile. “Lilly thought it was ‘cool’ too.”

“Why are you two arguing about this?” Dean asks his tone skeptical.

“We have a bet.” Castiel answers bluntly, as Thoth looks up and just glares at the angel like he was an idiot.

“Supernatural adults are stupid.” Dean decides, with a roll of his eyes.

“Come on Lizzy! Let’s go play in the magic fort!” Sam tugs on her hand again, wanting to go play more.

“Otay.” Mae says, “Tag! Yours it.” She giggles as she starts running to the fort.

“Not tag!” Dean snaps immediately, fearing another horrible game of hide and go find Lizzy, in this huge house. “It’s night time. Night time games only!  In the fort, and stay there, in the fort, where I can see you. I’m not even bothering with rules, just don’t leave the fort while you play. Contain it.” He orders sternly.

“I’s sorry Dean.” Mae mumbles, as she looked at the floor and kicked at it petulantly.

Dean rubs his brow, looking old in that moment, before he sighs and just points to the fort. “Play.” He sighs.

“Okay, I understand.” Sam nods before he rushes to the tent with Mae, not wanting to upset Dean further.

Castiel walks over and hits play on the DVD player before he turns around and goes and sits where he can see inside the fort. He picks up one of their research books, and begins looking in it. He just wanted the four of them back to normal, and the old one had made a game of it. He knew he was better with kids than Thoth. He turned to watch the two in the fort as they picked up pillows and started hitting each other with them. He lifted his brow but since neither were screaming in pain or crying, he guessed they were not hurting each other.

Thoth, hearing the giggles coming from inside the fort, stood up to snap a photo of the two having a pillow fight. He even managed to get one of the angel watching over them protectively.

Dean watches annoyed before he turns back to go back to reading the comic, no interest in watching a kid movie. He stops when he notices that Lilly wasn’t just waiting patiently where he had left her, but was instead standing by the tray of food, her hand in the popcorn bowl.  “Lilly, you wanna watch- LILLY!” He snaps at her.

Lilly turns around, her cheeks puffed like a chipmunk, her eyes wide at her name having been called out. She brings her hand back to her mouth and shoves the rest of it in before she can be yelled at for eating too fast again. 

“Are you even hungry? What are you doing? You’re gonna choke.” Dean sighed. Every one of them had very different reasons that he had to watch them closely. He took a deep breath, it was harder with three than it was with one. If they were really cursed, he hopped it would be over soon.

Lilly looks at him chewing the food in her mouth as she nods her head slowly. She wasn’t really still hungry. She swallows the food in her mouth she frowns. “I’s not choke.” She responds indignantly.

“Lilly, if you’re not hungry, you should go play or watch the movie.” Thoth tells her gently. He sits back in his seat and opens his book, resuming his reading.

Lilly nods, waiting for him to start reading again before she turns back to the food.

“Lilly…” Thoth reprimands softly. 

Lilly sighs and pulls her hood back over her head, as she shuffles back to the bed and pulls herself on it. She crawls to the back of it where the cushions were on the pull out couch. She plops down and hugs the blanket and stuffed animals to her as she pulls up her knees and hugs them to her, and sulks. Why was there food out if she couldn’t eat it? That was mean, and she didn’t know why adults did it to her so often. 

Dean spares the god a small glare before he climbs back on the bed to sit next to Lilly. “Still want me to read to you?” He asks as picks up the book to do so.

Lilly looks up at him and studies him for a moment before she looks at Thoth. Was he going to take away the reading too? She frowns with indecision before she gives one slow nod to not draw the adults attention.

“Awesome.” Dean smiles at her and settles back in with her tucked next to him, ready to read again.

It doesn’t take long for Sam and Mae to calm down in the fort, the movie capturing their attention. They end up next to each other on the ground, propped up on their elbows as they watched Beauty and the Beast.

“Do you two want snacks for the movie?” Castiel asks them. 

Lilly pouts. Why did they get snacks? This was like the other homes all over again she frowns as she hid her face in her drawn knees.

“Is there popcorn?” Sam asks, not tearing his eyes from the film.

“Yes.” Castiel responds as he stands from his spot and disappears from their view behind the drapes. He returns several moments later with popcorn, fruit, candy and hot chocolate. “Here you go.” He lays the snacks and drinks out in front of him.

“I’s not ah’pose to drink hot chocolate unless my Mommy makes it.” Mae explains quietly after she sniffs the mug in front of her.

Castiel tilts his head to the side, bending down closer. “What drink would you like? Do you want tea?”

Mae smiles, “I’s can drink real tea?”

“Yes.” Castiel nods. “You do it all the time.” He smiles as he stood back up.

Mae gives him a confused look, but goes back to watching the movie.

Castiel pats her head before he walks out of the room, Thoth raises an eyebrow as he went, before he puts down his book, and follows the angel.

Dean watches the adults leave, relief flooding him at their departure.

Lilly looks up to him slightly concerned he had stopped reading. “What’s fe mattah?” 

He shakes his head and looks down at her. “Sorry, just. Hey, why do you like Thof so much?”

“Fof, is my Wady’s Word, he’s gods of know-wedge. Ahmes, tolds me about him, he taughts her enflish and toughts Viola gyptain.” Lilly frowns.

“So, your friends likes them, but you didn’t know them before all this happened?” Dean asks once more for clarification.

“I’s pway to fem awot wif Ahmes. She’s taught me the pwayahs.” Lilly nods.

“You pray alot? But you’ve never seen them before?”

Lilly nods her head. “Uh huh.”

“So, what do you like about him? What makes  _ you _ trust him?” Dean asks after several moments of thought.

“I’s no twust him he’s puts out food and then says no.” Lilly pouts. “He’s nice bout weadin’ fough.” She sighs. “Ahmes twusts fem. An’ Viola.” 

“Is your tummy still hurting?” Dean asks, feeling bad that he was the one that had gotten her in trouble.

Lilly shakes her head. “No-ah”

Dean looks at her closer. “Are you sure?”

Lilly nods.

Dean shrugs and stands up. “Want me to make you a bowl of snacks?”

Lilly looks up to him and nods vehemently.

“Ok.” Dean walks over and empties a bowl of chips onto the tray before he starts adding handfuls of the bright colored candies to it. Girls seemed to like bright colored candy, and he really liked M&Ms, so he grabbed a lot of those. “You want chips or just candy?”

“Candy.” Lilly smiles behind her hood her hidden eyes bright.

Dean nods. He’d figured that. He grabs himself a bowl of chips with more M&Ms and walks back over to the bed. “Here.”

Lilly reaches out and takes the bowl. “Fank you.” She chirps happily as she curls around the bowl.

“So, you don’t trust him, but the other person does?” Dean asks as he settles in next to her.

Lilly nods. “Ahmes has knowns fem fa evah.”

Dean looks at the door, wishing he’d been nicer to the lady; she’d been nice. Sometimes creepy, but not that bad. These two though, they kept acting strange and he didn’t like it.

Lilly draws her brows together concerned when the boy goes quiet, afraid she’s said something wrong. “I’s twust you.” She offers softly with a small smile. “Yous bwings food, an’s gives back mys amwulet.”

Dean looks down at her and returns her smile. “Yeah? Thanks.”

Lilly nods her head. “You’s nice, an’ you weads, an’ yous always worried ‘bout us, an’ yous nice when Is no ables ta keep up,  ewan’s whens yous bossy.”

“Someone has to be bossy. None of these adults except Bobby knows what they’re doing. You all keep running off. But, I just don’t like what these two are doing. Some’hin’s up.”

“Fey’s gods an’ a angels Dean, fey no has ta deal wif kids befoahs. I finks fey’s jus’ confuseded. We’s pawently dults wight? Fey pwobably’s no spewiance wif kids. Fey gets wery upsets wif tearahs, an’ cwyings. Most dults jus’ ignorah fat tils fey sleep.” Lilly offers her opinion as she looks up to Dean. He was constantly on alert, but so far the worst the dult’s had done was yell and leave out food she couldn’t eat. There were certainly worse homes.

Dean tilts his head. “Is that all it is? They keep acting like they’re up to something. And what was up with the fighting?”

“I’s fink theys jus’ no okay wif us. We’s were ‘dults wight? Now’s we’s kids…It has ta be scawy to fem a wittle.” Lilly reasons with a little shrug.

Dean shrugs as well before he picks the book back up.

“Fey’s coming back.” Lilly informs him as she grabs a handful of the small candies in her bowl. She takes a bite of one and smiles when she realizes that it’s an M&M. She lets out a small happy noise. She wasn’t allowed to have chocolate usually, Ahmes and Viola always yelled at her. 

Castiel walks back in with two mugs, one he leaves near Lilly, the other he takes to Mae. Thoth follows lazily not far behind.  His eyes landing on the two kids on the bed. He raises an eyebrow at the bowl, and sighs before he just walks back to his chair and picks up his book, and returns to reading. He was grateful that Lilly was a mostly quiet child, that preferred books over noise even if she would eat the house if they let her. Though he found it amusing that Mae was able to convince Castiel to join them in the fort to watch the movie.

The room settles in quiet sans Dean’s whispered reading, the smaller ones occasional fidgets and the movie playing. 

“What’s wrong, you have a bug bite or something?” Dean finally asks as the girl next to him scratches her neck for the fifteenth time.

“Nuh uh.” Lilly shakes her head reaching for more candy.

“Then why are you scratching so much?”

“Dunno jus’ itchy.” Lilly responds with a mouthful of candy.

“Let me see.” Dean demands.

“Yous weadin’, I’s fine, jus’ a wittle itchy...” Lilly mumbles.

“I’m not reading again until you show me why you’re itchy. If it’s a bug bite we have to clean it.”Dean reminds her, using her earlier argument against her.

“Ugh, fines.” Lilly agrees, her hands coming up to pull down the hoodie’s neck line.

Dean snaps the book shut in shock as he tugs her hood down in concern. What was wrong with this girl? Everytime he turned around she had another problem. “What’s this?” He demands, looking at her red, patchy throat and face. 

“Noffin’ jus’ itchy...my foat feels a bit funny but I’s fine.” Lilly says with a shrug though her voice sounds raspy when she spoke. She pops more of the candy in her mouth, not concerned. “You’s wead now?” She asks as she tried to put her head back up, only to have him stop her. “I’s fines Dean. We’s wead pwease?” She pouts.

Dean glares at her before he scoops her up and moves her to the foot of the bed, “Somethin’s wrong with Lilly.” He shouts, pulling her too-big hoodie off her, ignoring her complaints about boys undressing girls as her breathing becomes wheezes. 

Thoth puts down his book and immediately pops over concerned by Dean’s tone. His eyes running over the rash on Lilly’s throat, chest, and face. Thoth leans down his hand moving her head slowly. “What are you allergic to?” He demands.

Lilly just raises her shoulders, too afraid to talk. She was confused about what was going on, and had no idea why everyone was mad at her.

Castiel pops next to him.

“Allergy.” Thoth explains quickly, knowing the angel could fix it faster than he could. Maat was going to kill him.

Mae and Sam rush over, forgetting Dean’s rule when they hear the worry in everyone’s voice.

Castiel nods his head and reaches out, softly placing two fingers to Lilly’s forehead. Within seconds her skin returns back to it’s too pale pallor. His eyes move to the bowl of snacks then to the bowl of spilled candy. He walks over to it, and breaks a piece. “She’s been eating chocolate. Why did you give them chocolate candy?”

“They’re kids, they like it.” Thoth responds as if the answer was obvious.

“She’s allergic to it.” Castiel frowns with a raised brow.

“No she’s not, I’ve seen her eat chocolate.” Thoth defends with a scoff even as he looked down at her in confusion.

“She never eats much as an adult, but she’s told me that she can’t have too much. She’s made me eat brownies on multiple occasions because she made them but could only eat a little of it.” Castiel argues, knowing he was right.

“Whats wrong with Lilly?” Mae asks, scared for her new friend.

“Yeah, Lilly you okay?” Sam asks.

“You two go back to the movie, she’s fine.” Dean demands looking between the adults arguing and the confused girl on the bed. 

“But Lilly…” Mae starts, worried.

“I’s feel fine, an’ chocolate tastes good.” Lilly finally pipes up, a pout on her lips.

“Sorry Lilly, you shouldn’t eat it. It will make you very very sick.” Castiel says as he removes all the chocolate from the tray.

“Buts, I’s wikes it.” Lilly whines, her lower lip trembling, dangerously close to tears.

“No cries Lilly! Come watch the movie with us.” Mae says quickly, trying to take the other girl by the hand.

“Sammy, Lizzy, back in the fort.” Dean orders annoyed that he had to tell them more than once. He was still worried about Lilly, and didn’t trust that it was an allergic reaction to chocolate. She should have known if she was. Who the hell was allergic to chocolate? 

Sam looks between Lilly, Mae, and Dean beofre nods his head. “Come on Lizzy, Dean’s awesome at taking care of me, I’m sure Lilly will be fine.” Sam assures Mae as he takes her hand and pulls her to the fort.

“But she’s gonna cries.” Mae complains softly, letting him lead her back to the movie. She rubs at her eyes wishing she could comfort Lilly.

“I’d cry too if I couldn’t eat candy.” Sam admits as he pats Mae’s back.

“I can’t eat any candy!” Lilly exclaims a new level of upset, as she looks at Thoth, with tears in her eyes.

“Stop! You just can’t eat chocolate candy… apparently. I do remember Ahmes saying something about this allergy.” Thoth takes a different bowl from the tray and hands it to her. This one filled with individually wrapped taffy candy. “Eat these, and drink your me damn tea. No tears.”

“Oh.” Lilly says the tears completely gone. “Ahmes an’ Viola’s no lets me eats it..” She turns to Dean. “Sees. Fey no’s goods wif teaws.”

Thoth rolls his eyes and gently pats her head. “They’re just looking out for you. Feel better now? Try drinking some of the tea.” He stands and removes the mug of hot chocolate he had made for her.

Lilly just nods her head.

“Dean, I’m going to move your drink to your side so she doesn’t drink it.”

“Why would she drink it?” Dean asks his tone completely rude. He frowns at the bowl of candy but doesn’t take it. He had the slightest feeling it may have been the only reason she didn’t trust the god. He sighs. Girls were so much harder than boys, and this one was more difficult than any he’d ever met.   

They eventually settle back into reading, Lilly unwrapping several candies at a time before she pops them into her mouth. When she realizes how hard they were to chew, she offers them to Dean as well. 

Satisfied that he had removed all the chocolate from the room Castiel rejoins the littles in the fort.

The first time Dean sees Lilly nodding off he sits up and sets the book aside. “Time to brush teeth.” He announces to the room.

“O’tay.” Lilly yawns as she moves to the foot of the bed, and crawls down.

“Sammy, Lizzy, come on.“ Dean demands.

“But we’s watchin’ a movies.” Mae whines, not looking away from the singing candlestick.

“Dean, can’t we brush our teeth when it’s over?” Sam tries to bargain, comfortable and not wanting to get up.

Castiel hits a button on the remote pausing the movie. “You should brush your teeth.”

“Okay.” They both sigh as they force themselves to get up, content to do so now that the movie was paused.

Dean leads the herd of small children to the bathroom, happy he was able to keep them all together this time.

By the time the kids make it back to the room all the snacks and mugs had been removed and all the lights but the ones on the fort and by the bed were turned off.

Mae pulls Sam to the fort, and both of them go back to sitting in the large bean bag chair, their stuffed animals pulled close as they give big ol’ puppy dogs eyes at Cass. 

“We can watch the movie now?” Sam asks hopefully.

Castiel smiles and presses play on the remote.

Lilly crawls back into the bed as she pulls her blanket and stuffed animals back to her, resting them on her lap. She then picks up the book and holds it out to Dean expectantly.

“Yes, we can keep reading.” Dean nods with a smile, fluffing his pillow so he could lay down next to her. He watches as she squirms closer, having no problem with making herself comfortable on top of him to better see the comic’s pictures, as she curled on his lap. He almost thought about teasing her before he thought better of it. 

When the movie ends Castiel looks down to ask Sam and Mae if they wanted to watch another movie, but quickly realizes that they’re both asleep. Somehow they had managed to maneuver themselves on top of him and had fallen asleep with their head next to each other on his chest.

“Thoth?” He whispers. “They have fallen asleep. What do I do?” He asks lost.

Thoth stand and looks into the fort a large shit eating grin on his face as he pulls out the camera and takes several pictures. “You stay there, and don’t. They might wake up. Would you like a book?”

“Old one. This is not funny.” Castiel whispers harshly.

“On the contrary. I find it to be hilarious. So no on that book?” Thoth snickers. “Perhaps you would prefer another children’s movie.”

Castiel frowns at him, looking one thousand percent done. “Give me a book. I don’t want them waking up.” He sighs as he raises his hand.

Thoth smirks as he passes Castiel the book he had been looking through earlier. “There you go friend.”

“I really do dislike your sense of humor.” Castiel deadpans.

Thoth’s lips raise into a smug smile. “Most don’t.”

Dean watches the exchange in unease. He’d noticed that they had been taking pictures of all of them the whole time and it was unsettling but he didn’t have much he could currently do about it. He sighs as he turns to look down at the girl on his chest. For someone who was anti-sleeping with others she had somehow entangled herself pretty damn well. Her blanket was tucked under her head and he found himself wishing he had pulled the blankets up sooner. 

“Where’s my knife?” Dean asks quietly after checking under his pillow with one hand.

“It’s not where you left it?” Castiel asks, wondering if one of the little kids had picked it up.

“No.” Dean says suspiciously, still keeping his voice down.

“Did one of the younger ones take it?” Castiel continues to whisper, voicing his concern as he helplessly looked around the fort..

“Maat.” Thoth breathes under his breath. That woman was trying to make their lives miserable. He knew she wasn’t thrilled about the ten year old possessing a knife, but Dean was obviously trained. “Does it have to be your knife you sleep with? Or will any knife do?” He asks Dean, as he stands and walks over to him.

“I just need a weapon to help protect them. Dad lets me keep a blade or a gun.” Dean says stiffly. 

“Well then here.” Thoth waves his hand and catches an ornate, jewel encrusted gold scabbarded dagger out of the air. He turns to hand it to Dean. “Just don’t let Lilly touch it, I know without a doubt this time, she’s allergic to this.”

Dean looks at him warily, not sure he trusted a ‘magic’ jewel covered knife. However he held his hand out anyway, not wanting to incur Bobby’s wrath again.

Without hesitation Thoth handed him the blade. “There, any other requests? Want a gun?”

Dean glared at the man standing over him, trying to contain his surprise at how heavy the dagger was. He drew it, happy to find it was a real blade. “Nah, this is good... Thanks.” He tilts his head to the side as he looks over the blade, unable to understand the hieroglyphs written there.

“Don’t let Maat see it. Or you’ll find yourself weaponless again.” Thoth warns before he turns and walks back to his chair and subtly takes pictures of the bigs curled up together while Dean was busy looking over the blade; before he waves his hand and grabs a blanket from thin air and offers it to Dean. “Here. I wouldn’t move her if I were you, it’ll just be complaining for all of us.”

Dean sighs and reaches out to take the blanket. “Thank you.” He sighs as he watches the man turn and return to his book.

Castiel shrugs at the exchange between Thoth and Dean before he looks back down at the two sleeping on him. He reaches back carefully to grab blankets to cover them with. When they weren’t running around and breaking things, they were very adorable.

Dean spends several minutes trying to figure out how to be comfortable before he gives up; he was not willing to wake up Lilly. So instead he just wraps his arms around her like he would when Sam did the same thing. If she didn’t want to be touched she shouldn’t have clung to him, he reasons to himself as he tucks the blade under his pillow beneath him. He falls asleep with thoughts of how the girl currently curled into his side was allergic to both gold and chocolate. Weren’t girls supposed to like both of those things? What the fuck did his adult self do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of the chapter? Are we doing a good job getting Wee-chesters? What about baby Mae and Lilly? Are their younger selves anything like you'd thought they'd be? Does it explain anything about the way the girls are? Let us know what you think :)
> 
> Until next week wayward fam, carry on!


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